With his second feature, Zia Zhangke offers a scrappy, neo-realist tale of societal scrounging that’s paused by poetic moments of slow cinema. Xiao Wu, also known as Pickpocket, follows the title character (Hongwei Wang) as he makes his way through a mid-sized Chinese city as a petty criminal, jealous of the estranged friend (Hongjian Hao) who has “risen” to more organized crime and pining after a karaoke-bar singer (Zuo Baitao) whose dreams of big-city stardom have sputtered. The movie balances handheld street scenes populated by actual locals and dominated by a diegetic soundscape of traffic sounds and public announcements with deliberate and lengthy static shots involving two characters, in which more carefully chosen diegetic music plays a significant role. Foremost among these is Xiao’s visit to the singer’s apartment after he hears that she’s sick. Sharing silence, a song she sings, and a tinny tune from his novelty cigarette lighter, the pair finds a rare moment of respite in a changing world that’s determined to move on without them.
(2/23/2026)
