Qiaoqiao and Bin never exchange dialogue; in fact, Qiaoqiao never speaks.
Its a conceit that proves harder for the director to maintain than it first appears.
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The films larger narrative, really, is the march of time itself.
‘Caught By the Tides’Cannes
Early in the film, were told the Olympics will come to Beijing.
On their journey, the constant construction and demolition of a country in permanent flux is never far away.
China shifts and evolves as Qiaoqiao and Bin make very little progress at figuring themselves and each other out.
The director, too, uses the passage of time to review his own history in cinema.
Even the robot can detect the sadness in Qiaoqiaos face at a life wasted.