Screening: The Horse Thief

The Chinese film "The Horse Thief" will be screened at University of Chicago.

Set against the breathtaking landscape of Tibet in the 1920s, the film follows Norbu, who resorts to stealing horses to support his family and as a result is driven out of his tribe. It is a tribal drama of theft, ostracism, and terrible retribution, as well as a piercing meditation on social organization and one man’s spiritual relationship with nature,. This simple narrative unfolds by way of mesmerizing cinematography and hypnotic images of Tibetan rituals, a unique cinematic experience that transports audiences to an otherworldly place and time. Shot on location in Tibet, with most parts played by local inhabitants, The Horse Thief was a landmark in the transformation of Chinese cinema into an aesthetically thrilling, emotionally passionate cinema by fifth generation filmmakers. The film won top award at the 4th Film Festival of the Third World in Switzerland. Martin Scorsese declared this critically acclaimed masterpiece to be the best film he had seen in the 1990s.