Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes (as well as the Palm Dog Award for best performance by a canine), Guan Hu’s neorealist film tells the story of ordinary people left behind by the rapid economic development in China. Former stunt motorcyclist Lang returns to his hometown on the outskirts of the Gobi Desert, where he was a local celebrity prior to his imprisonment. Now residing with his father, Lang must avoid the spiteful local gangster “Butcher Hu”, who aims to exact revenge on Lang for his role in his nephew’s death. Lang decides to seek the bounty placed on a wild dog as part of a larger program to remove unwanted animals in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and eventually strikes up an unlikely friendship with the canine.