The Great Buddha+
Press Play to start
Theatrical Screenings
Kinomuzeum
Kinoteka 1
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
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 stumble 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 humour. 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, however, 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.
text:
Łukasz Mańkowski
Huang Hsin-yao
Born in 1973, Taiwanese director known for his satirical tone, dark humor, and distinctive visual aesthetic. Primarily a documentary filmmaker, his most notable works include the award-winning documentaries Bluffing, Nimbus, and Taivalu. A major breakthrough in his narrative fiction came with his 2014 short film The Great Buddha, which he expanded in 2017 into his feature directorial debut, The Great Buddha+. The film earned critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including the Golden Horse Award for Best New Director.
2005 Hóo-lân sann-sió / Bluffing (dokument)
2009 Dài shuǐ yún / Nimbus (dokument)
2010 Shěn méi zhī dǎo / Taivalu (dokument)
2013 Ālǐ bābā / A-li 88 (dokument)
2017 Wielki Budda+ / Dàfó Pǔlāsī / The Great Buddha+
2018 Yìn yàng bái lěng zhèn / Contact Prints of Baileng Canal (dokument)
2020 Tóngxué mài nà sī / Classmates Minus
2022 Běi jiāng qī / A Silent Gaze (dokument)
Festival guests
Huang Hsin-yao
film director


