Director Wei Tie conveys the sharp disjuncture that lies between reality and dreams in contemporary China by charting Zhu Ming′s migration from the countryside to the city and his efforts to get a job. Through a style that is closer to documentary than drama, he portrays China′s reality in rich detail. Zhu Ming fails his college entrance exam and migrates to the city looking for a job. With the help of his cousin Zhu Kun, also from the same village, Zhu Ming tries to find work but repeatedly fails. When the relationship between Zhu Ming and Zhu Kun′s girlfriend Jing Jing sours and he becomes the victim of employment fraud, Zhu Kun longs to return to his village. Wei focuses on relationships between urbanites. Focusing especially on the relationships between Zhu Ming, Zhu Kun, and Jing Jing, he subtly depicts the problems that arise between those who have successfully adapted to an urban lifestyle and those who haven′t. This perspective is reflected in the long shots of the characters against skyscrapers. Through focusing on the relations between urban dwellers and urban migrants, he rejects the idea that urban life is necessarily bad. (Kim Ji-seok)