Gao bie

Degena Yun's assured debut feature is a subtle and moving story about the emotional drift between two generations. Shanshan, sent to the UK for school, returns home to Beijing with an air of Western teenage ennui. He father, an aging Mongolian actor long past his heyday, has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and does not have long to live. With one at the beginning of her life and the other at the end of his, these two characters slowly find a connection in their similar struggles—to accept what lies ahead of them with honesty, bravery and hope. (Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival)