About

In fourteen exquisitely framed shots, Journey to the West follows Lee Kang-sheng, in his anachronistic monk persona, moving around the city and coastline of Marseilles. In this, the sixth film in the ‘Walker’ series, Lee is joined by French actor Denis Levant, known for his acrobatic physicality on screen. These two figures form a choreographed dialogue around stillness and movement, yet never directly interact. With a title that references the iconic 16th century Chinese novel loosely based on the monk Xuanzang’s odyssey to India in search of Buddhist teachings, Journey to the West was commissioned by the Marseille International Film Festival, and was shaped by Tsai’s own experience as an outsider exploring a new city for the first time.