Glasgow Film Festival Over the Sea

Sun Aoqian’s first feature is a beguiling coming of age story told with bravura filmmaking and an unforgettable performance from Yu Kunjie. Xiaojie (Yu) is a cheeky, irrepressible 11-year-old racing through life with boundless energy. Frequently left to his own devices, he hustles between school and the roadside inn run by his uncle. His older cousin Birdy (Rebecca Li) provides him with the love he craves. This boisterous portrait of carefree youth turns darker as Xiaojie is confronted by the harsh realities of the adult world and the tragedies that lie locked in his family history.