Craig Welch takes viewers inside a surreal, meticulously crafted world to meet a mysterious protagonist and his otherworldly visitor. In this surreal exposition, we meet a man, obsessed with control. His intricate gadgets manipulate yet insulate, as his science dissects and reduces. How exactly are wings attached to the back of angels? In this invented world drained of emotion, where everything goes through the motions, he is brushed by indefinite longings. Whether he can transcend his obsessions and fears is the heart of the matter. A film without words.

The Cannes film festival has been instrumental in bringing Asian cinema to the international film stage. The festival has showed the world that there is more to Asian filmmakers than just marital arts and karate kicks. They have won recognition for in-depth, touching works about human nature. And if the film fare at Cannes this year is anything to go by, Asian directors are reaching out beyond cultural borders, roping in Hollywood stars for universal tales set in fresh, inspiring locations and shot in western languages. A voiced report looks at the new heights of Asian cinema.