It’s a powerful and moving finale, even if it is familiar.

The loss and displacement attending the promise of progress could hardly be more potently conveyed, yet Caught by the Tides, with its digressive and observational style, never feels heavy-handed or polemical.

Drawing from nearly 25 years of footage, including images from his most acclaimed films, Jia has crafted a poignant new story with an assist from fragments of old tales.

A sprawling story that feels both intimate and epic, Caught by the Tides epitomizes what makes Jia Zhangke one of our most essential contemporary filmmakers.