Old Beast

Set in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, this punchy debut feature follows unrepentant Lao Yang as he whiles away his final years by gambling in mahjong parlors, neglecting his bedridden wife for a young mistress, and swindling his children out of cash at every turn. At least until irreconcilable conflicts arise... Veteran Tu Men's nuanced depiction of the flawed protagonist earned him Best Actor at Taiwan's prestigious Golden Horse Awards. Through his portrait of an old man trying to capture his former glory, writer-director Zhou Ziyang has created a provocative depiction of both his native city and a modern China torn across generational divides.