“Jia Zhangke — in his first feature film — displays an incisive mastery of political symbolism. Jia’s estranged yet fierce x‑ray of the ills of modern China evokes a calm, intimate compassion for its struggling survivors.”
—The New Yorker

A 16mm production featuring nonprofessional actors shot without state approval, Jia Zhangke’s breakout follows a disillusioned pickpocket who finds himself empty‑handed in the new market economy. But as a romance blossoms between him and a sex worker, he begins to wonder: does love hold more value than money?