Winds sweep over desert dunes that extend to the horizon where a man walks alone. Unknown to him a girl follows in his footsteps. Encountering one another in the next town it is discovered that they each desperately want the same thing, to steal a film reel. Each has a very compelling reason for the theft. The man and the girl find ways to take the reel from each other, but eluding the community is a different matter. In any other place but China in the 1970s the theft of a film reel might go unnoticed, however here watching a film is a community event. The struggle for the reel assumes epic proportions as the reasons become clear why the man and the girl need the film so much.
Zhang Yimou said in a video introduction to this Toronto international film festival screening that he was in his 20s during the 1970s. Whole communities watched films together back then. Being in packed theaters left a deep impression on him. In One Second he takes people back to this time where everyone sings along and knows the dialogue by heart. One Second is funny and touching at the same time. The cinematography is colorful, crisp, intentional, and well defined. The little acts of kindness in the film have deep impacts upon the lives of the characters, and it is uplifting to see this.
Zhang Yimou said in a video introduction to this Toronto international film festival screening that he was in his 20s during the 1970s. Whole communities watched films together back then. Being in packed theaters left a deep impression on him. In One Second he takes people back to this time where everyone sings along and knows the dialogue by heart. One Second is funny and touching at the same time. The cinematography is colorful, crisp, intentional, and well defined. The little acts of kindness in the film have deep impacts upon the lives of the characters, and it is uplifting to see this.