Qiu Jiongjiong's visually magnificent new film is a hybrid of fiction, historical reminiscence, and theatre. Its overview of China from the 1930s to the 1980s is filtered through Qiu Yu, a Sichuan opera 'clown' based on the director's own famous grandfather. As Qiu Yu negotiates his entry into Hades, his departing soul reviews his childhood, his performances, tragedies, and political perils.
