As bold departures go — this is the director Chen Kaige’s second non-period picture in over two decades — it’s an exhilarating experience to behold; there’s not an off-balance 'Scope frame or mistimed cut in this rapid fire, multi-character drama. On the bus ride home following a routine checkup that brought to light a terminal illness, a young Chinese secretary (Yuanyan Gao) refuses to vacate her seat for a senior, thus becoming the subject of a cell phone video and its accompanying viral notoriety. Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), a master of austerity, not hilarity, can’t give his film the edgy oomph needed to transform it into the balls-out satire it so rightly deserves to be. (The biggest comedic roadblock is the director’s decision to keep his protagonist’s prognosis a secret from the other characters.) After 30 minutes he stops trying, as social barbs are gradually replaced by more familiar themes of romantic longing. (2013) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.