International Premiere
The six-year-old daughter of a deaf-mute couple frustrates her father, who believes she can hear and speak. Much of the film, which is about communication, is done in Chinese Sign Language (CSL). Powerful without being flashy, the story showcases the challenges, melancholy, and social stigma of being deaf and mute in our increasingly auditory world. First-rate direction keeps the story developments flowing while excellent performances make the characters completely believable, especially the young girl whose stoicism acts as a shield against an outside world she dislikes. This is an intense drama that doesn’t cheapen the raw-earned emotions with sentimentality, and delivers a moving message of love and devotion.
Media Partner
Community Partner
Yinghong Hui, Enyou Yang, Xianhe Wang, Yamin Yan
China
2021
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Featured in:
International Shorts: Family Ties
The bonds of family form the basis of this program of short films. Bonds with history and responsibility—sometimes close, sometimes strained—now and for the future.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Holdovers
Destined to become a seasonal staple, this bittersweet comedy reunites Sideways director and star Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti in the portrait of a surly classics teacher forced to babysit five "orphans" at boarding school over the holidays.
Who by Fire
Jeff, a 17-year-old aspiring filmmaker, goes on vacation with his friend Max and his family to an isolated lodge. Philippe Lesage’s film is a tense, mesmerizing tour de force that is both agonizing and cathartic. A Berlinale award winner.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Aardman Animation's handcrafted mix of dad jokes, slapstick, mock dramatics and understated emotion makes this return for the claymation odd couple a constant delight. The villainous Feathers McGraw is back to no good, commandeering Norbot the robot. Rated: G
Gremlins (40th Anniversary)
The perfect last minute Xmas gift: give your special someone a cute ball of fur and don't worry about where it came from. Just don't put it under bright lights, don't get it wet, and whatever you do, please, please don't feed it after midnight... Rated: PG
Image: © 1984 WBEI
The Count of Monte Cristo
You can't beat this evergreen Alexandre Dumas tale for adventure, intrigue and romance. This lavish French blockbuster from the writers of the recent Three Musketeers movies pulls you in from the first scene and doesn't let off for the next three hours. Rated: PG
Credits
Producer
Fangzhou Zhao, Corey Pengyang Sun
Screenwriter
Dandi Fu
Cinematography
Jianeng Li
Editor
Cheng Chen
Production Design
Yading Li
Original Music
Nancy Li
Director
Mo Sha
Mo Sha is a Chinese director. In 2017, his first web series, My Huckleberry Friends, was rated 8.6/10 in Douban. In 2021, he released his directorial debut feature, Love Will Tear Us Apart, and won Best Youth Director of the Year in the iQiyi reality show, Action!
Filmography: Love Will Tear Us Apart (2021)