‘Caught by the Tides’ (2024)

A drama spanning over 20 years, ‘Caught by the Tides’ follows Qiao Qiao (Tao Zhao) and her relationship with Guao Bin (Zhubin Li). Working as a singer and model in the early 2000’s, Qiao Qiao has a relationship with her manager Guo Bin who suddenly decides to leave Datong in search for a better life elsewhere. The film follows Qiao Qiao as she roams China in search for her lost lover.

A masterfully constructed film, director and writer Jia Zhangke executes a mesmerizing story through an amalgamation of footage shot over more than 20 years. Skillfully blending clips and scenes archived by the director to re-imagine and re-use parts of his previous projects, Zhangke regales us with a dramatic tale of lost love, reconnecting and independence.

Zhangke's long time collaborator and partner Tao Zhao leads the feature as a quietly determined force. Shown initially as somewhat of a hustler, her relationship and eventual breakup with Guao Bin reformulates the character’s ego, reshaping the woman initially into a lost and searching wanderer and eventually into someone who is living for herself. Largely wordless, the performance covers many changes in the woman’s life, with big emotions being expressed through nuanced gestures and expressions.

Vague as though the narrative may be, ‘Caught by the Tides’ delivers an apt and insightful window into the changing landscape that was and is life in China. Opening on Qiao Qiao as she hustles to make a living as a singer, model and club girl, the film chronicles her separation from Guo Bin, and her journey in search of him.

Wandering from town to town, Zhangke pairs the woman’s journey of self-discovery with the changing landscape of China. Largely drawing attention to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, the film reiterates the director’s attitude towards the destruction of 13 cities and all of those who were displaced due to the construction, accentuating the sense of loss and the inability to recognize the places that were once there.

A technical marvel, Zhangke has created a film reminiscent of times past whilst avoiding unnecessary emotions of nostalgia and melancholy. Even though the film draws largely on footage from a bygone era, it is used effectively as an illustrative tool of the leaps and bounds by which China has changed, rather than to glorify the past, it serves as the stark contrast to modern day China.

Working together beautifully, Tao Zhao and Zhubin Li deliver a remarkable feat in acting, as the two portray a relationship that goes through its ups and downs, spanning decades. Zhao and Li change with the times, adapting to their environments and seeking to move forward as best they can. The ultimate conclusion of the two encountering each other years after parting ways illustrated the journey they have been on. With Guao Bin looking to reconcile, Qiao Qiao chooses to live life for herself, reminded that she can be the source of her own joy.

Score: 4/4