A man dressed in a vivid red robe walks across the world. He walks slowly and deliberately, his bare feet taking each step with care. As he silently moves through a train station, past the Washington Monument, and down an alleyway, the audience bears witness, and a full-body, sensory experience begins. As we watch each foot step take on significant meaning, we become aware of the way our own bodies and how we are seated in the theater (slouched, straight, relaxed). As the man moves past onlookers, we begin to see them too (a woman similarly dressed in red, a man gawking at the walker, another paying no attention). Is that the sound of a train in the distance? Did a little girl just call out “what movie is it?” to the camera crew? In this contemplative work, patience is both tested and embraced, quiet becomes loud, and every moment has meaning. Fresh from its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, and marking its Chicago premiere at the Film Center, ABIDING NOWHERE is the tenth film in Tsai Ming-liang’s walker series, and features his long-time collaborator Lee Kang-Sheng as the character inspired by Xuanzang, a Tang Dynasty monk who in the 6th century traveled on foot to bring Buddhist teachings from China to India.