Gone with the Boat

Jin, a widow living alone in a village, is diagnosed with a brain tumour. Her daughter fights with everything she has to find the best treatment. Her son argues that the family should accept the reality of death. That split between the two of them is the real tension of the film. Events send the three of them on a journey over the waters of the past. The film is built on coming home and on saying goodbye. How death should be met stands as an argument between two generations. It is Chen Xiaoyu’s first feature and it won the best screenplay award at the Shanghai International Film Festival. The ninety nine minute Chinese film was completed in 2024.