Nelicia Low’s hypnotic, suspenseful drama stars Liu Hsiu-fu as Zijie, a teenage fencing enthusiast with an agonizing uncertainty hanging over him. His big brother Zihan (Tsao Yu-ning) has just been released from detention after serving time for murder. Zijie is forbidden from seeing his sibling, but he reaches out anyway, and what follows is his attempt to figure out who to believe: Zihan, who insists he was wrongly convicted, or their mother (Ding Ning), who says justice was served.
Fencing makes a great metaphor for the aggression, misdirection, and strategizing we see play out over the course of the film. At times Zihan seems sincere and benevolent, but in other moments he exudes menace; the dynamic between him and his younger brother is different in every encounter, and the mystery at the core of their relationship generates a thrilling atmosphere of danger. Tsao gives a subtle, compelling performance, and as the wide-eyed, fearful protagonist, Liu is terrific.
Best Director Award, Karlovy Vary 2024
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Liu Hsiu-Fu, Tsao Yu-Ning, Ding Ning
Singapore/Taiwan/Poland
2024
In Mandarin with English subtitles
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Credits & Director
Executive Producer
John M. Lo, Daniel Young, Jennifer Jao, Lin Tien Kuei
Producer
Sam Chua Weishi, Jeremy Chua, Patrick Mao Huang, Izabela Igel, John M. Lo
Screenwriter
Nelicia Low
Cinematography
Michal Dymek
Editor
Nelicia Low, Eric Mendelsohn
Production Design
Marcus Cheng, Hsu Kuei-Ting
Original Music
Piotr Kurek
Nelicia Low
Writer/director Nelicia Low grew up in Singapore where she was a national fencer for five years, retiring after the 2010 Asian Games to pursue filmmaking. Nelicia received her MFA in film directing at Columbia University in 2018. Her short film, Freeze (2016), premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand ISFF and went on to screen at film festivals around the world including the Taipei Golden Horse FF, Busan ISFF, and Singapore IFF. She was selected for the 2018 Singapore IFF’s Southeast Asian Film Lab, 2019 Less is More European Film Lab, and 2017 New Waves: Emerging Voices of Southeast Asia director showcase. Nelicia’s debut feature, Pierce, is a fencing-thriller based on her love for her autistic brother and poses the question – What is love?
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