Xiao Wu

One of cinema’s great debuts, this film by the generation-defining Chinese auteur Jia Zhangke is a searing first expression of his signature theme: the disillusionment of people left behind by a society modernizing at whiplash speed. Shot on 16 mm with nonprofessional actors and without state approval, Xiao Wu enfolds its critique within a subtly ironic study of a cocky, aimless pickpocket who, as those around him advance thanks to the opportunities of the new market economy, finds himself increasingly alienated. A budding relationship with a brothel worker seems to offer him a sense of meaning—but is it as illusory as the promises of capitalism. Jia fashions a quietly shattering portrait of humanity caught in the jaws of globalization.