The cinematography of uninhabited mountain vistas is stunning, the supporting characters are charming, and Takakura stoically portrays the pained patience with which Takada undertakes his stubborn quest.

NEWYORKER: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles

The director Zhang Yimou returns to the allegorical drama in this simple but at times trenchantly emotional tale of Takada (the excellent Ken Takakura), a widowed Japanese fisherman.

NEWYORKER: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles