After a mysterious incident at high school, the lives of classmates Wei, an outgoing only boy from a ‘perfect’ middle-class family, and Shuo, a sharp-eyed introvert from a troubled background, become intertwined. Wei introduces Shuo to his father (a cell biologist) and mother (a former flight attendant), and Shuo gradually becomes part of the family, discovering the dynamics of their comfortable existence overshadowed by silent secrets. Chinese writer-director Jianjie Lin’s precise and suspenseful debut feature, a psycho-thriller family drama, explores the one-child policy in contemporary China and reveals the psychological scars and repressed emotions of a family, and the social expectations and economic pressures of underlying Chinese society.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Lin Jianjie.

Festival selection/awards: Panorama Section, Berlin International Film Festival 2024

Notes by Marie-Pierre Richard.

This film is screening as part of the East Asian Film Festival 2025.