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UK PREMIERE
Bel Ami
Institute of Contemporary Arts
Bel Ami (漂亮朋友), dir. Geng Jun, France 2024, Mandarin with English subtitles, 116 min.


Book tickets

In a sleepy town in China, a middle-aged man is unwilling to endure a stagnant existence, and experiencing true love, decides to come out of the closet. Meanwhile, a lesbian couple go in search of a gay man, in order to get married and have a child. Behind these fiery love stories lies an absurd drama about identity politics, as these lonely souls struggle with the legacy of the communist past. Zhang Zhiyong gives a superb performance in the lead role and won Best Actor at the Golden Horse Awards, where the film was nominated in all the major categories; it also won best cinematography and editing. Stylising daily reality with a biting black humour, director Geng Jun subtly critiques popular assumptions about gender roles, social etiquette, and what is considered age-appropriate behaviour. 
 
Book tickets
06:10 pm
Tue, 13 May 2025
Cinema 1
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Cinema 1
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