(China/2006) Directed by Zhang Yimou

From director Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern) comes an intensely moving story of one man's physical and emotional odyssey. Veteran Japanese star Ken Takakura plays an aging resident of a Japanese fishing village who learns that his estranged son is seriously ill. Rushing to the Tokyo hospital, he is crushed to discover that his son refuses to see him. Rather than accept defeat, the father has an idea —one which will require him to make a vast journey through the countryside of China, since he believes that there is but one task he can perform that will change his son's mind. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles marks a return to the human scale of Zhang's early works; it's one of the most touching—and visually splendid—movies of the year. In Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles. (107 min.) Fri. & Sat. at 7:00, Sun. at 4:00

“Packs a powerful emotional punch.” —Russell Edwards, Variety