山河，是不變的大自然。故人，是隨時間累積的情感。賈樟柯用《山河故人》總結自己的人生感悟，故事將從1999年到2014年他的故鄉汾陽市，一路延展到2025年的澳洲，三段式結構表現 過去、現在、未來。「過去」由趙濤與煤礦工人梁景東和礦場老闆張譯陷入三角關係;「現在」中趙濤雖生活自主，卻不敵失婚和失去兒子Dollar的挫敗;「未來」更加殘酷，董子健飾演成年的Dollar，因自小缺乏母愛，轉而向飾演老師的張艾嘉尋求慰藉。葉蒨文的名曲「珍重」、Pet Shop Boy的「Go west」貫穿全片，南北半球的距離既呼應當今兩岸三地的事，又借題點出兩代人在時間流逝中所累積的情感。繼兩年前最佳劇本獎《天注定》後，《山河故人》打進康城再成焦點。

In this ambitious continent-straddling drama spanning three time periods, Sixth Generation auteur Jia Zhangke ventures into new territory while exploring his central themes of loss and displacement in a materialistic, fast-changing China. In 1999 Fenyang, miner Liangzi (Liang Jingdong) and mine owner Zhang (Zhang Yi) are both in love with Tao (Zhao Tao), and she chooses the wealthier suitor. In 2014, Tao is now divorced and alone while her hotshot ex-husband is planning to emigrate to Australia with their son Dollar. In 2025 Australia, Dollar (Dong Zijian), who is unable to communicate with his father and barely remembers his mother, develops a close relationship with his much older teacher (Sylvia Chang).