Due West: Our Sex Journey
...In the Tang Dynasty, Buddhist monk & scholar Xuanzang embarked on a journey to India in order to study & collect scriptures, a pilgrimage that lasted 17 years. His epic undertaking, detailed in the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions, provided an important historical record & inspired the great literary classic Journey to the West. While people now tend to associate Xuanzang with Journey to the Wests fantasy story & characters, the 2016 historical drama Xuanzang depicts the man minus the supernatural mythology.
Produced by Wong Kar Wai & directed by Huo Jianqi ( Snowfall in Taipei), Xuanzang stars Huang Xiaoming in the title role of the monk who defied Emperor Taizongs ban on foreign travel, & set out alone by foot on a perilous journey across deserts & unknown lands. Along the way, he meets people who follow him & betray him, & witnesses & experiences the many struggles & sufferings of the living. Xuanzang was Chinas entry for the 89th Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film selection.