Caught by the Tides Review: Jia Zhangke and Zhao Tao Navigate 20 Years of History

      Note: This review was originally published as part of our 2024 Cannes coverage. Caught by the Tides is set to be released in theaters on May 9.

      Jia Zhangke often creates films that evoke a sense of déjà vu. “We’re once again in the northern Chinese city of Datong,” Giovanni Marchini Camia noted for Sight and Sound in 2019, “it’s once more the start of the new millennium, Qiao is once again involved with a mobster, yet no other characters reappear and there are enough variations to indicate that this isn’t a sequel or a remake.” Camia was discussing Ash Is Purest White, but much of the same can be said for Caught by the Tides, the director’s latest exploration of his own archive––indeed, his memories––and transforming what he discovers into something original. The main character in Tides is again named Qiao and is portrayed by Zhao Tao, who appears in over 20 years of the director’s footage, allowing viewers to witness that unique creative partnership develop in real time––one of the great gifts of modern cinema.

      Creating this type of film can be approached in two ways: one could take the Linklater approach of filming with the same actors every year or so; alternatively, you can find an actor with whom you develop a symbiotic relationship, making any collaborative work potentially fair game in the future. Structurally, Ash and Tides are mirror images of each other: love stories spanning two decades where a dancer (Zhao) falls for a questionable man, Guo Bin (Zhubin Li), and faces heartbreak in Fengjie, only for him to reappear in a newly filmed concluding act. The director mentioned that he began working on Tides during the pandemic, revisiting old footage and reconfiguring that familiar narrative. In a recent conversation with him, he described the process almost poetically: “I would say it’s like clouds in the sky: clouds are always moving, taking on any shape or direction.”

      Aside from these reflections, this film is the most unconventional of his recent work. It opens in a 4:3 aspect ratio, featuring documentary footage from 2001 of a group of women singing popular songs. Tides then takes viewers on a journey through two decades of significant changes in the country, from receiving the Olympic bid that year to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam by the decade's end (Jia's hallmark narrative turning point), leading all the way to the COVID era and the rise of TikTok. In the early scenes, there are beautiful street-level shots where pedestrians look into the camera resembling Chantal Akerman’s To the East. A stunning sequence follows where Zhao parades down a catwalk outside a new mega mall––the film’s first glimpse of urban vibrancy. Slowly, and mostly without dialogue, Zhao’s character, a dancer pursuing promotional work, takes shape; alongside her, Zhubin’s character is introduced as her manager. Circumstances lead to Qiao wandering alone in Fengjie, fruitlessly searching for him while the backdrop features residents being relocated to higher ground before the gorges are inundated. The historical context that has pervaded his films never seems to lessen its significance in his work.

      Nonetheless, there were moments in Tides where I questioned how often one can revisit the same themes. It was interesting to see Zhao in Ash Is Purest White wearing the same outfit from Still Life 12 years prior––a yellow shirt, a backpack in front, and a reliable water bottle at hand––but I found it challenging to view her character in Tides' second act as someone with a distinct inner life and personal history. Many scenes lack dialogue, with Jia opting for on-screen text messages to advance the plot. Fortunately, the most impactful moments are saved for the finale––just don't anticipate a critique of the country’s stringent lockdown measures. There’s a remarkable scene where Bin realizes that his old acquaintances have begun managing a local influencer on TikTok. The film also features an intensely dramatic conclusion. At its Cannes premiere this week, Zhao wept as the credits rolled, sitting beside Jia while reflecting on 20 years passing by in a flash. Life rarely feels this cinematic.

      Caught by the Tides made its debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.