Re:Mind

This screening will be followed by an online Q&A with director Li Dongmei, moderated by Victor Fan.

Yu and her boyfriend share a small apartment in the city. Their days are made of waiting, lounging, drifting. She is a young professional and pregnant, he is trying to kickstart a creative career. She often visits her sister and niece, catching a glimpse at a life of motherhood. Her unborn child embodies her hope for a better future. She has already chosen a name for them: Guo Ran, one who naturally bears fruit.

Li Dongmei’s exquisite direction takes us through the rhythms of Yu’s life, a life of enclosed spaces, be it a flat or a hospital room, a life lived in the heat of summer. Slowly but surely, we are absorbed in these rhythms, as we watch Yu go about her day, her relationship deteriorating, her hope faltering. Our breathing syncs with that of Yu, our heart breaks with hers.

Few films capture the feeling of loss better than Guo Ran. It is a spectre that creeps up on you, subtly transfiguring your day-to-day life, emptying spaces which were once filled. Yet, with every loss, comes the possibility for renewal.

And rebirth.

– Francesco Quario