Peking, 1902: a culture on the cusp of modernization, still very much tied to its traditional loyalties and mistrust of outside interference. When English entrepreneur Raymond Wallace arrives with plans to profit from the miracle of moving pictures, he is scorned and scoffed by almost all of his potential audience. The inquisitive photographer’s assistant Liu, however, takes a keen interest in Wallace’s “Shadow Magic,” and pesters his way into an apprenticeship in order to unlock the secrets of this mechanical marvel. With an understanding of how to manage the suspicious locals, Liu sells tickets to the show and secures a partnership with his foreign mentor. Watching what it must have been like for an unjaded audience to take in the wonders of an unheard-of technology is a real treat. They sit wide-eyed and awed by images of people simply walking and waving. They dive under their chairs at the sight of an approaching train onscreen. They laugh at the folly of it all, and can’t wait to recruit their friends for return viewings. It all seems well and dandy until the operation proves a real threat to the more traditional forms of entertainment. Wallace and Liu quickly become pariahs when the star of the Peking Opera declares war on their production. It’s an apt metaphor for the changing times, where young women begrudgingly accept arranged marriages and social class can be an inescapable prison. Knowing it’s based on true events and real people makes the story as bittersweet as it is lovely.

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