Yuanyuan Ning

The first days of 2020’s lockdown seem to drag forever for a group of tourists trapped in a Thai hotel. In strict confinement and as the big day of an unexpected event approaches, emotional entanglements, tensions and long kept secrets rise to the surface.

In a strict post-1949 Beijing boarding school, four-year-old Qiang struggles to conform to the rigid disciplinary system. He finds himself unable to earn the coveted little red flowers awarded for daily chores and obedience. The film serves as a poignant allegory for social engineering and the loss of individuality, capturing the rebellion and innocence of childhood against institutional control.