Big Buddha+

Radzodkieva works at the Buddha monument factory as a security guard on the night shift. His buddy Navel collects secondary raw materials during the day. In the evenings, they meet in the guardhouse: they devour junk food, throw crickets and, to kill boredom, watch footage from the car camera of the head of Radziwa. Then one night they come across something they definitely shouldn't see. This discovery will change their lives forever. “The Great Buddha+” looks at spirituality and religion with irony and cheeky humor. In an Asian buddy-movie, two buddies fall into an addiction to voyeurism, and increasingly disturbing car camera footage creates the impression that reality is under the power of the omnipresent (divine) gaze. Transcendence, however, takes on an extremely cynical form here. Still unknown in Poland and Taiwan, Huang Hsin-yao's iconic black comedy mirrors a world filled with a sense of impunity and the logic of violence of late capitalism. Huang's debut turned out to be an unexpected hit, receiving as many as 11 Golden Horse Awards nominations in 2017 and winning in five categories.

Pickle works the night shift as a security guard at a factory manufacturing Buddha statues. His friend Belly Button spends his days collecting scrap for recycling. In the evenings, they huddle in the guard booth: eating junk food, flipping through porn magazines, and watching dashcam footage from Pickle's boss to kill time. One night, they stumbled across something they were never meant to see — a discovery that alters their lives forever.

The Great Buddha+ takes an irreverent look at spirituality and religion with unapologetic humor. In this Buddhist buddy movie, two friends become hooked on voyeurism, while increasingly disturbing dashcam footage creates the impression that reality itself has fallen under the gaze of an all-seeing (divine) eye. Transcendence, on the other hand, takes an exceptionally cynical form here.

Previously unreleased in Poland, Huang Hsin-yao's cult black comedy holds up a stark mirror to a world saturated with impunity and driven by the violent logic of late capitalism. Huang's debut proved a surprise sensation, earning 11 nominations at the 2017 Golden Horse Awards and winning in five categories.