It’s 1991. Cheng Die is a piano teacher. She was born into unstable surroundings, into silence and chaos, growing up with the constant sound of her mother’s weeping. Her grandmother Yang Zipei, a celebrity from the Shanghai French Concession Renaissance, taught Cheng Die how to play the piano at an early age. The music is her sole solace and the driving force of her spirit. Now, she is involved in a passionate and forbidden love affair at school, with a married man. Her name is covered in shame. In order to avoid an even bigger scandal, she’s compelled to relocate to the town of Linyuan, far far away. Upon her arrival, she finds out that the inhabitants cannot speak. This is only the first one of a series of subtle revelations that will let Cheng Die doubt the point of her travel: is this still life or is it already a dream?

In the vein of a Bela Tarr or a young Andrej Zvjagincev, Liao Zihao’s vision is a sophisticated and delicate composition that combines music and touch. The visual experience that you’ll enjoy while watching this film is comparable to having a silken glove caressing a line of piano keys. The center of its drama relies on a dream, and a dreamlike experience is what this young artist and US-educated Chinese director will propose to you.

“Who Is Sleeping in Silver Grey” is a precious, philosophical work that reveals a new, major voice in our actual panorama of Chinese arthouse directors.

Dario Vecchiato