Mr. Zhang Believes (2015): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2015, Mr. Zhang Believes is a drama, history and documentary film directed by Qiu Jiongjiong, running about 331 minutes.

What it’s about. Zhang Xianchi is a man thrown into the Cultural Revolution and its afterimage, plunged into the ideological deadlocks of the era and suffering its consequences beyond it. Born into a family that supports the nationalist Kuomintang, Zhang eventually became a leftist and joined the Communist Party. But his family’s background eventually catches up with him, and in a series of bureaucratic measures, he is labelled as a Rightist, leading to a slew of irrational yet life-affecting consequences. His story is told through an exhilarating hybrid of forms, blending documentary-styled interviews and spectral theatrical displays within an ever-mutating studio-space. Hypnagogic in its imagery and ironic in attitude, Mr. Zhang Believes is a tour-de-force treatise of a man caught within dogmatic political maneuverings, which it critiques indirectly with creative and stoic fervour.

Who’s in it. Mr. Zhang Believes stars Cai Yifan, Xiao'ou Ma and Jimmy Zhang.

How it landed. With an audience score of 8.0/10, Mr. Zhang Believes sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Mr. Zhang Believes page.

If you liked it. Fans of Mr. Zhang Believes tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.