In his new work Taiwanese master of hypnotic cinema Tsai Ming-liang demonstrates utmost tenderness as he films the frail body of his long-time partner Lee Kang-sheng. A cycle of exotic curative treatments culminates in an exquisite massage which, in addition to the physical pleasure, brings rare moments of human connection. Days is a zen piece about devotion, of fleeting intimacy in the heart of the anonymous urban jungle, and our continuous fusion with the present – yet there is rarely time for these in the frenetic modern world. A perennial festival favourite, Tsai composes his picture as an experience that refreshes the senses and, like the director’s previous films, invites us to radically slow down the pace and sharpen our perception of ourselves and the world around us.