Screening Schedule | May 4: The Emotional Underpinning of Realism

The Eurasian Plate is not merely a convergence of nations in a geographical sense, but also a complex and profound fault line in cultural experience. It bridges cities and rural areas across East Asia, the silence and bonds between generations, individuals’ struggles and sense of belonging within social order, and further presents the lives of people constantly swept along by the tides of the times.

As the Eurasian Plate shifts slowly deep within the mantle, the crushed rocks turn into fine powder and pile up to form the folds beneath our feet. At this moment, the screens of the short film section become another rift valley. In Cage blazing magma surges silently beneath the vacuum-like oppressive and enclosed high school grounds; clinging to long hair is the girl’s most silent act of rebellion and her final perseverance in pursuit of an unattainable dream. Scattered specks of light fall onto the walls covered with manuscript paper in The Novelist, piercing the illusions of reality with a blade of absurdity. The pen never stops, pouring out an endless passion for creation.

These specks of light are swallowed by the snowstorm symbolizing desire and power in Born To Be Shadow. While the young man Erdun struggles between his yearning for freedom and inheriting his father’s authority, in a small southern town, the woman’s life in Summer Afternoon is forever sealed in that misty summer. The broiler chickens dying with their heads reversed forebode impending misfortune, and the collapse of overwhelming grief arrives as quietly as a dove drowning in water.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, a girl who has tasted forbidden fruit for the first time undergoes a silent judgment. As the whirring of the washing machine churning the stains of her first night drowns the early morning hours in Extracurricular Activity, the silent cries of East Asian women in families are erased, leaving behind the enduring silence of men. Beyond silence lies cynicism. The fragmented remarks of male police officers piece together the hidden truth of the case laced with disdain and mockery, which mirrors the life of the woman in In Twos and Threes — devoted to love yet unwilling to be wronged.

Our journey ultimately concludes with the feature film *Porcelain Mending*. A family of four gathers on the Winter Solstice, seemingly harmonious and blissful yet seething with undercurrents beneath the surface. As the ugliest secret is uncovered, we suddenly realize that a secret is merely the most insignificant crack in fractured relationships. Even without hidden secrets, the porcelain vase is already riddled with flaws from within. This film encapsulates the forbearance, restraint and absurdity inherent in interpersonal relationships, presenting a miniature portrayal of the enduring intimate dynamics unique to East Asian families.

This section is a collective hysteria centered on "mending". With copper wires, fountain pens, contraceptives and lies, the characters attempt to heal the spreading seismic scars along the fault lines of life. Yet the screen remains as faithful as a seismograph, recording every trivial defeat. Perhaps all attempts at restoration are nothing but a second imprint of old wounds, yet the warmth of the Eurasian continent lies hidden within those untouchable shadowed depths.

The drifting rock fragments of ambiguous, elusive emotions inherent in East Asian sentiment will settle anew on the silver screen, forming our shared emotional rock strata and melting the trivial messes of life into a brand-new continent.

Screening List

Shards

Director: Jiang Yuzhi | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 94 minutes

Synopsis: On the Winter Solstice, families reunite. Grandmother and mother knead dough to make glutinous rice balls; grandfather and father fold gold foil paper into ingots; the son wanders among the adults weighed down by hidden worries. The family chats about daily necessities, trivial household matters, long-lost friends, pigeons that turn on each other, and restored porcelain. The rice ball skins split open, the paper ingots burn to ashes, and the mended porcelain grows even more fragile. This is a process-driven film. Within a single continuous day, amid endless household chores, a family drifts apart, reconciles, returns to harmony, and collapses once more. Much like the traditional craft of porcelain mending, the fractured pieces of the family are held tightly together by metal staples—broken, yet whole again.

Director's Statement: From early 2020 to the present, we have lived through three winters amid the pandemic. Can we still remember what the world was like before? We could travel abroad freely; a single flight ticket allowed us to meet loved ones and relatives thousands of miles away; we could greet each other with unreserved, full smiles. If the world back then was a flawless piece of porcelain, the hammer blow of the pandemic has shattered it. Divisions have emerged between nations, between cities, and between people. Yet just like the craft of porcelain mending, there are always those who refuse to give up, striving to repair the cracks in human relationships. This film is precisely about that process of mending. It is a true story, intimate yet universal. It is something unfolding, or has already unfolded, in countless families.

Director: Jiang Yuzhi

Director Introduction: Director and screenwriter. Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Film with a major in Philosophy at Stanford University. Boasting a delicate creative style, he strives to analyze social issues, human nature and emotions from the perspective of minority groups. He has participated in the production of several theatrical feature films. His short films *A Step* and *Where I Belong* have accumulated over five million views and have been officially selected for international film festivals including the Las Vegas Film Festival and Rome Film Festival. His narrative short films *Amitabha, 502* and *LIVE* have been selected for the Kraków Film Festival in Poland, San Francisco International Film Festival, Xiamen HiShorts Film Week and other renowned festivals.

Extracurricular Activity

Director: Wei De'an/Xu Yidan | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 22 minutes

Synopsis: After the girl and the boy have an illicit relationship and an unexpected situation arises, the girl has to face the boy's mother to deal with the aftermath.

The Novelist

Director: Xu Yizhong | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 25 minutes

Synopsis: Young Xu Jin accidentally finds a long-abandoned fountain pen at home. From then on, he becomes obsessed and devotes himself to writing novels day and night. No one knows what has happened to him, not even himself. After finishing his novel, this young factory worker is faced with a question: how can he get his work noticed by the public? Thus, he embarks on an ambitious and relentless plan reminiscent of the Foolish Old Man Removing the Mountains...

Cage

Director: Liao Youfu | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 18 minutes

Synopsis: A high school girl's secret of hiding her long hair is discovered by her teacher, and she has to cut it off in accordance with school rules. Her dream of dancing is trapped by reality. Should she return to the prison-like school and follow the rules, or stand up and resist? That night, she is forced to make a choice.

In Twos and Threes

Director: Miao Jina | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 13 minutes

Synopsis: Two police officers and a female forensic doctor take a female suspect to the countryside to search for the body of the victimized husband. The four individuals with clashing temperaments embark on an absurd journey. As they draw closer to one another and set aside their respective identities, the truth of the case grows blurred, and the story evolves into an exploration of bond and loneliness.

Born to Be Shadow

Director: Jiang Xinying | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 25 minutes

Synopsis: In a remote forest farm, Erdene resolves to escape his father's control. Heavy snow buries the lambs, the watchdog Heizi, and his father one after another, while Erdene becomes trapped in the cycle of fate.

A Silent Farewell

Director: Luo Zhaoguang | Chinese Mainland | 2024 | 14 Minutes

Synopsis: On a foggy afternoon in a small southern town, a mother waits for her husband and daughter to return home, with mystery and unease hanging thick in the air.

Post-screening Review

The Underlying Emotions of Realism was successfully held at KCL on May 4th, 2025.

After the screening, we were honored to invite director Jiang Yuzhi for an online one-on-one interview. The conversation centered on the creative motivation and emotional implication of the film, allowing the audience to gain a deeper insight into the profound reflections of *Kintsugi* on the thematic motif of East Asian emotions. This collective emotional experience centered on "mending" not only deepened the audience's resonance with the screened film but also laid a solid foundation for the subsequent voluntary screenings.

Group photo of the on-site staff for "The Underlying Emotion of Realism"