“The American dream is over, a Chinese dream is coming!” challenges Chen Kaige, director of Farewell My Concubine. This is a challenge that celebrated commercials (but frustrated features) director, Wang Yuelun, is determined to live up to. But this entails convincing producers to fund his first feature film. In fascinating detail, his quest reveals daily Chinese life in neon Bejing. We meet Yuelen’s proud, aspirational parents, his gorgeously petulant girlfriend, an arrogant producer, and major players in China’s official and unofficial film industry. Juxtaposing images of gyrating robotic cameras with an intense belief in the predictions of his fortune teller and the opinions of maverick directors, Sjaastad succinctly depicts the conflict between strict communist ideals and economic progress, including the increasing insurgence and influence of capitalist values.