SoulMate

Qiyue and Ansheng meet at thirteen and are each other's opposite: one ordered, patient, planned, the other loose and ungoverned. Their friendship lasts thirteen years, cracks when they love the same man, and ends with the question of who lived which life gone blurry. Derek Tsang directed, from a story by Anni Baobei. What drew most attention was the acting prize. Zhou Dongyu and Ma Sichun shared Best Actress at the 2016 Golden Horse Awards, the first time in the festival's history the jury named two winners in that category. The narrative plays with memory. The story is relayed through a novel posted online, and which version of events is true keeps shifting; the ending deepens that uncertainty rather than resolving it. Tsang reached a wider audience afterwards with Better Days, driven by the same interest: two young people holding on to each other. Who it is for: viewers who like Chinese drama centred on female friendship. Who it is not for: anyone wanting linear storytelling; the timeline keeps breaking.