Mr. Zhang Believes(Director’s Cut)(QJJ Retro)

“He is one among many pawns sent across the river. Gazing and listening leave a bitter and prolonged aftertaste, so we resort to reenactment to converse with our subject.”

Qiu Jiongjiong adapts Mr. Zhang Xianchi's memoirs into a documentary. Through the story the film recounts a 30-year chapter of China’s mid-20th-century history. In addition to the usual oral history approach, Mr. Zhang Believes also incorporates theatrical re-enactments, marking an important shift in Qiu's style. The director’s cut runs for over 5 hours and therefore a 134-min cut was made for film festivals.

There are two 10-min intermissions. The total runtime is 351 minutes.