Set in the cold of winter in Yanji, a town on China’s northeastern border with Korea, we follow the blossoming relationship between three young adults in their twenties. Young urbanite Haofeng (Liu Haoran) travelling from Shanghai for a wedding, arrives to find he feels lost and adrift. By chance he goes on a tour led by Nana (Zhou Dongyu), a charming guide who instantly fascinates him. Nana introduces him to Xiao (Qu Chuxiao), a restaurant worker, and over the course of a weekend the three quickly bond and find friendship as they confront their individual traumas, and their desires slowly thaw. Underscored by a refreshing soundtrack, this introspective journey of Gen Z youth is an arresting and delicate poem about existential angst and nostalgia from award-winning Singaporean writer-director-producer, Anthony Chen.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with writer, director and producer Anthony Chen, hosted by Irish writer and director Marian Quinn.

Notes by Marie-Pierre Richard, programme curator & co-organiser, East Asia Film Festival Ireland & EAFFI Discoveries