Mountains May Depart

Mountains May Depart follows Tao, a young woman in Fenyang, China, at the end of 1999. Two childhood friends, Zhang and Liang, both court her: Zhang runs a petrol station and seems headed for a prosperous future, while Liang works in a coal mine. The choice she makes sets the course of her life and that of her son, and the film returns to these characters in 2014 and 2025.

Jia Zhangke directed and wrote the film, which came after A Touch of Sin in his filmography and was followed by Ash Is Purest White. Zhao Tao, a regular presence in his work, plays Tao, with Zhang Yi, Liang Jingdong, Dong Zijian, Sylvia Chang and Rong Zishan among the cast. Shozo Ichiyama produced. It runs 127 minutes and is a drama with romantic elements, made as a co-production between China, France and Japan.

The film drew a critics' rating of 7.6 out of 10 from 86 reviews, while audiences on TMDB rate it 7 out of 10 from 263 votes.