Film Archive

Mosaic Portrait

Official Selection - Competition 2019 / Ma sai ke shao nü / China 2019

A diaphanously hypnotic story conveyed more through contemplative silence than words, in which a pregnant 14-year-old makes a surprising revelation when asked to name the father of her child. The young Chinese director follows in the footsteps of the Sixth Generation filmmakers, taking fragments of impressions and moods to craft an unsettling image of the injured heroine, who remains proud and strong. Yet despite this – or perhaps for this reason – she finds herself mired in a deep chasm of alienation.

Synopsis

While her friends want to fall in love, get married and do nothing, 14-year-old Ying dreams of living a different life elsewhere. Her troubling escapism also reflects the wretched fact that she suddenly finds herself pregnant. When she makes a surprising revelation as to the identity of the unborn child’s father, the quest for justice begins. This diaphanously hypnotic cinematic tale, conveyed more through contemplative silence than words, doesn’t offer a clear-cut plot; rather it examines the way in which a shocking act convulses the microcosm of a small town. The young Chinese director looks to the 6th Generation filmmakers, taking impressionistic fragments to craft an unsettling image of the injured heroine, who remains proud and strong. Even so, she finds herself mired in a deep chasm of alienation.

Martin Horyna

About the film

107 min / Color, DCP
World premiere
Director Zhai Yixiang / Screenplay Zhai Yixiang / Dir. of Photography Wang Weihua / Editor Matthieu Laclau, Cai Yanshan / Art Director Peng Shaoying / Producer Wang Zijian, Cheng Rui / Production Blackfin Production / Coproduction Rediance / Cast Wang Yanhui, Wang Chuanjun, Zhang Tongxi / Sales Rediance