Zhang Yimou’s long-awaited One Second is an ode to cinema’s power as both a conduit for emotions and a tool for propaganda.

In the early 1970s, a nameless fugitive escapes from a Gansu Province labour camp. He is desperate to see a newsreel which promises him a glimpse of his estranged daughter. It is the start of an epic trek through the desert that becomes a battle of wits with Orphan Liu (Liu Haocun) who has her own reasons for trying to obtain the film.

Striking cinematography and enchanting moments grace this moving and deeply personal homage to the redemptive power of film by three-time Academy Award®-nominee Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers, Hero).

With thanks to MUBI.

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