Resurrection: A love letter to cinema

 

Across his promising career, Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan has established himself as a master of manipulating time and space through a self-consciously slippery dream logic. His latest feature, “Resurrection,” is his most ambitious plunge yet into the realm of pure cinematic dreamscape.

Following its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Prix Spécial, the film has solidified Bi Gan’s reputation as a visionary capable of traversing stylistic boundaries with supreme confidence.

The film’s premise is a maximalist paradox. In a near-future reality, humanity has discovered that the secret to immortality lies in no longer dreaming, an existence compared to a wax candle that never burns and thus lasts forever. However, outcasts known as Deliriants defy this decree, choosing shorter, brighter lives fueled by imagination.

The story follows an elegant “Big Other” named Miss Shu (Shu Qi), tasked with hunting these outliers. When she tracks down a monstrous, Nosferatu-esque Deliriant (Jackson Yee), she is moved by his dedication to his inner life. In an act of seeming mercy, she installs a film projector inside him, allowing him a final series of reveries before his inevitable death.

The bulk of the film’s running time unfolds within the Deliriant’s dreams, presented in chapters corresponding to the six senses of Buddhist thought: sight, a tribute to silent melodrama and German Expressionism, featuring a Byzantine maze of crooked film sets that evokes memories of F.W. Murnau and Georges Méliès; hearing, a mid-20th-century espionage noir involving a mysterious suitcase, a theremin playing Bach, and a mirrored labyrinth reminiscent of Orson Welles’ “The Lady From Shanghai”; taste, a folktale set in a ruined Buddhist temple where an art thief encounters a “Spirit of Bitterness” reincarnated in a rotten tooth; smell, a tragicomic riff on “Paper Moon,” following a con artist and an orphan apprentice who swindle a mob boss using a fake ability to identify playing cards by scent; touch, a woozy, red-lit romance between a young hoodlum and a vampire singer on New Year’s Eve 1999; and mind, the final reckoning where the monster’s mind is found in an opium den, leading to a funeral rite performed through the language of cinema.

Bi Gan uses breathtaking long takes to collapse past, present, and future. The film’s final 40-minute unbroken take, a breathlessly conceived sequence following the vampire romance, displays a casual fluidity that creates a surreal, trance-like atmosphere.

Despite the sheer opulence on display, some critics have noted a draining and mannered quality to the work, suggesting it may be more an act of preservation by a curator than a work of imaginative possibility. However, others argue that “Resurrection” is a cinephile’s delight, a deeply mysterious work of art that captures the unique, paradoxical pleasure of total immersion in cinema.

Ultimately, “Resurrection” functions as a love letter to cinema. In Bi Gan’s world, to give up dreaming is to give up what makes us human. By projecting these dreams onto the screen, he invites the audience to keep the faith and rediscover the sensorial illusion of cinema.

SENSATION: RENTEN-DOPPELBESTEUERUNG IST NOCH NICHT GELÖST!

 **SENSATION: RENTEN-DOPPELBESTEUERUNG IST NOCH NICHT GELÖST!**

Das Bundesverfassungsgericht entschied bereits 2002 dagegen – doch 2025 zahlen Millionen Rentner immer noch doppelt. Das Finanzministerium strich heimlich einen entscheidenden Vermerk aus Millionen Bescheiden.

Bist du einer von 6,7 Millionen Betroffenen? Die verlorene Summe könnte bis zu 13.700 Euro betragen.

Die komplette Liste der betroffenen Jahrgänge und die versteckte Frist findest du im ERSTEN KOMMENTAR.

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🇵🇭 PHILIPPINES SEISMIC UPDATE

 A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near the Municipality of Sarangani, Davao Region, Mindanao, Philippines, at 1:41:09 PM IST (08:11:09 UTC) on 6 July 2026, according to BMKG.

The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 km, which can increase the likelihood of noticeable shaking near the epicentral area. No tsunami warning has been issued at this time.

Preliminary Parameters

• Magnitude: M5.9

• Depth: 10.0 km

• Location: Municipality of Sarangani, Davao Region, Mindanao, Philippines

• Origin Time: 08:11:09 UTC | 1:41:09 PM IST

• Status: Confirmed (BMKG)

Earlier on 6 July 2026, the Philippines also experienced a M5.0 earthquake beneath the Bicol Region (Luzon) at a depth of 132 km, occurring at 11:36:11 AM IST (06:06:11 UTC). These earthquakes highlight the ongoing tectonic activity along the Philippine Mobile Belt.

Based on the large geographic separation and differing tectonic settings, this earthquake is considered a separate seismic event rather than an aftershock of the earlier Luzon earthquake.

The situation will continue to be monitored for any significant aftershocks or updated assessments from regional and international seismic agencies.

This image is AI-generated to visualize the event. Some map details, boundaries, or positioning may not perfectly match real-world geography. The science is accurate — the visuals are illustrative.

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Oil Price July 7, 2026

 

The water elevation of Angat Dam continued to go down

 The water elevation of Angat Dam continued to go down on Monday, inching closer to its lowest recorded water level in 2010. https://tinyurl.com/jn46ndey

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Swimming with whale sharks in Pintuyan

Why Southern Leyte is your 'sharky pitstop' to Siargao

By Manila Bulletin Newsroom

Published Jul 5, 2026 10:33 am

We call them butanding, but they’re also known as balilan, kaytan tokke, and balyiran. Here in the province of Southern Leyte, they’re known as tiki-tiki.

GENTLE GIANTS A pair of tiki-tiki or whale sharks cruises near the water’s surface in Pintuyan, Southern Leyte. (Photos: Gregg Yan)

Whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) are the most commonly seen fish in the Philippines, not because they’re found in markets like tilapia or bangus, but because they’re printed on the back of the new P100 bill (which is my daily allowance from my wife).

Though certainly large enough, they aren’t whales. They’re the largest of the three known filter-feeding sharks, growing over 50 feet and weighing as much as six adult elephants. While they are the Earth’s largest fish, they’re completely harmless, eating only plankton, tiny fish, shrimp, and squid.

These harmless giants have since transitioned from mere wildlife to money magnets, generating millions of pesos through ecotourism. Donsol in Southern Luzon remains the country’s traditional hotbed for wild whale shark encounters. Oslob in Southern Cebu is the cash cow, raking in big bucks and huge crowds through a controversial feeding practice that alters natural shark behavior and keeps sharks in place for most of the year.

Pintuyan in Southern Leyte’s Sogod Bay is the newcomer, working quietly to establish itself as an ethical whale shark destination, modeled after Donsol. Other whale shark watching destinations include Palawan and Bohol.

Pintuyan, Southern Leyte

Pintuyan’s whale sharks

“In the old days, our fishers drove off or even killed whale sharks or tiki-tiki because they scared away smaller fish and plowed through our nets,” recalls Pintuyan Mayor Ricarte Estrella. “In 2006, we saw how Donsol was leading the way in terms of sustainable ecotourism. We wanted to emulate their adventure-based system, which doesn’t rely on feeding. We’re still a long way from the commercial scale of Oslob or Donsol, but we’re content to take things slow and give our visitors a simpler, but more ethical experience.”

Pintuyan in Southern Leyte annually welcomes less than 5,000 visitors, mostly European divers. “But this is something we hope to build on, since we have lots of unique experiences to offer our guests,” promises Mayor Ricarte.

For one, Pintuyan sits just an hour away from Surigao, a jump-off for wayfarers headed to Siargao, one of the world’s most renowned surf spots. Travelers headed to Siargao can first fly to Tacloban, then travel three to four hours south to Pintuyan to dive with whale sharks. Visitors can stay a few days as ferries sail to Surigao daily.

Pintuyan pygmy squid

“Aside from diving, we also offer our guests a unique experience in the form of ‘squidding’ or squid fishing,” adds Mayor Ricarte. “Guests can board a ‘bangka’ (boat) to catch and eat tiny squid at sunset.”

Locally called buko-buko, the pygmy squids grow no larger than a finger, glow in the dark, and can be eaten raw (careful though, for they can bite like a maya bird with their little beaks).

“They taste great, and we can catch as many as we like every summer,” says local fisher Mario Mateo. “Tourists love buko-buko, but our main attraction is really the whale sharks.”

Taking the plunge

“Ready to jump? Always stay three to five meters away from them,” instructs our guide Carlito Mosot, donning a mask and snorkel. “Go, go, jump in!”

We jump into the water and are immediately surrounded by the gentle giants of Pintuyan.

Unlike Oslob, where the water carries the lingering scent of dead shrimp, or Donsol, where thick plankton blooms limit visibility to a dozen feet, Pintuyan offers clear water. Morning sunrays slice the blue to illuminate the curious constellations on the backs of the sharks.

Adventurers Gregg Yan, Erwin Lim, Renzo Maano, Boboi Costas, Aldo Banaynal and Anna Barlam before diving with the gentle giants of Pintuyan. Whale shark interactions usually take place in the morning, within a few hundred meters from the shore.

At around five meters apiece, they’re smaller than the sharks of Donsol, some of which exceed 10 meters in length. Some also exhibit scars and cuts, evidence of accidental hits from boat propellers, but on the whole, they seem happy, healthy, and most of all, wild.

For 30 magical minutes, we swim alongside tiki-tiki, several rising to the surface to gorge on plankton, which also attracts smaller fish like fusiliers and mackerel. I’ve swum with whale sharks all over the country, and this is among the best experiences I’ve had.

For surfers and adventurers heading to Siargao, make Pintuyan your pitstop. Swim with friendly sharks and catch a palmful of tiny squid before battling Cloud Nine’s monster waves.

“Pintuyan has much to offer, from rugged mountains to vibrant coral reefs,” shares Boboi Costas, an ecotourism guru who has been quietly helping communities nationwide discover and market the beauty of their hometowns. “I hope to see it flourish as a premier marine destination where local communities, the government, and the private sector work hand-in-hand to benefit both the people and the environment.”

Gregg Yan is an explorer and the founder of environmental group Best Alternatives.