Et hotellrom er aldri helt og holdent vårt. Det er et sted vi oppholder oss midlertidig. Gjennom syv historier, utforsker Stranger fremmedgjøring i moderne kineseres liv. Hver historie utfolder seg i en enkelt tagning, og tilbyr en meditativ utforskning av et mangfold av kinesiske liv. Vi får blant annet se en rengjører på jobb, en bryllupsfest, et politiavhør og en fremmedarbeider på et motell i USA.

Gjennom en titt på disse livene tilbyr Stranger en refleksjon over et samfunn i rask utvikling, og med absurde motsetninger. Noen må spille en rolle for å nå sine mål, mens andre blottlegger sine dypeste tanker. Dette skildres med både humor og melankoli.

«Stranger is often strongest when it’s being coy, quietly bringing us into the fold and leaving room for interpretation.»

– Robert Daniels, Roger Ebert –

Zhengfan Yang har jusutdanning, og driver produksjonsselskapet Burn the Film med Shengze Zhu. Yang har laget fire spillefilmer – Distant (2013), Where Are You Going (2016), Down There (2018), Footnote (2022) – og flere kortfilmer.

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Hotel rooms can feel alienating. Through several episodes told in a single long take in different hotel rooms, Stranger takes an unflinching look at the many different lives of the Chinese living today.

A hotel room is never entirely a personal space. It is a place that is ours for a moment. Through seven stories, Stranger explores the alienation of modern Chinese life. Each story unfolds in a single take, offering a meditative exploration on a diversity of Chinese lives. We get to see a maid at work, a wedding party, a police interrogation and an expat in a US motel among others.

Through its look at these different lives, Stranger offers a take on existence in a society of rapid change and absurd contradictions. Some need to put on a performance to achieve their goals, while others reveal their deepest thoughts. This is portrayed with both humor and melancholy.

«Stranger is often strongest when it’s being coy, quietly bringing us into the fold and leaving room for interpretation.»

– Robert Daniels, Roger Ebert –

Zhengfan Yang has a law degree, and runs the production company Burn the Film with Shengze Zhu. Yang has made four feature-length films – Distant (2013), Where Are You Going (2016), Down There (2018), Footnote (2022) – and several shorts.