A Separation

Synopsis
Fresh from a failed marriage, Qin Lang returns to his hometown, Jinji Town, to bury his father. After years of absence, Cao Kai is the only former classmate he can reach out to. Yet the suffocating atmosphere in Cao’s home hangs so thick—not even a spare bed could be offered for the night.Cao Kai sets up Shen Nian from “One Cloud hair salon” with Qin Lang. Qin falls for this melancholic small-town girl, but awkwardly compares her to his ex-wife. Their tentative dance begins. Unbeknownst to him, a poem by Xi Murong would become Shen Nian’s final armor.With days until the Daoist priest’s chosen burial date, Qin Lang waits—and searches for the woman named Huang Shufen. The suffocating tension in Cao Kai’s home finally snaps: Sun Li vanishes, abandoning their child. Qin Lang finds Huang Shufen at last, only to discover she now rests across the divide of life and death.The emerald grasshopper that had kept him company since the inn days leapt alone into the blazing flames on his father’s burial day. To Qin Lang, this was the sign: time to leave Jinji Town…
Best Director Feature Film
⭐⭐⭐