In 2020, COVID put a halt on the entire world. Normal life turned around 180 degrees: day had turned into night as we embarked in uncharted territory. Building 60 of Tokyo’s Sunshine City is closed because of the pandemic, yet an unexpected guest turns up intent to reach the rooftop as the building’s janitor tries […]
Inside a restaurant, men and women mingle, testing each other’s wit. There may be happy talk during the meal, but ominous undercurrents linger. When a man believes he has a winning hand, a woman smiles and flips the chessboard. Love stories do not apply here; being coy is a trap; behind a smile is a […]
When a marriage breaks up, a happy family is shattered. An anxious son becomes listless, his psychological troubles compounding still further. Seeing his original family structure disintegrating, he cannot fit into a new mode of being. Troubled that no one in the family understands him, he hides behind lies, sliding even closer to the point […]
Construction worker Chen San has a daughter who is mortally ill. In order to save her, he must find money. Thus Chen asked his colleague Li Poxiao to create a profile on a crowdfunding page. This online version of his “alternative daughter” becomes an internet sensation, touching the hearts of many… But is that his […]
During a “fake” renaissance era, four relatively accomplished “Westerners” become comrades. Though lost in their ways, they drift through life with a smattering of art. They then decide to emulate the ancients in swearing a blood oath: “We ask not the same year, month and day of birth; but wish to die on the same […]
As a lease ends, one can’t help but feel lonesome returning the keys. Yet this vacant property turns into an “inauspiciousabode”: As the owner, old and new renters, estate agent and prospective buyer gather—each with different ambitions—a fatal accident descends upon them. Everything’s amok, fate’s gone topsy-turvy. Will misfortune turn into positive gains? Just wait […]
During the reign of Qing Emperor Tongzhi, the eunuch An Dehai was an all-powerful aide to the Empress Dowager. Using the excuse of procuring a dragon robe to leave the Forbidden City, he was arraigned by the magistrate Ding Baozhen while travelling in Shandong. As messengers dart from one place to another, An’s fate is […]