Chang Hui-an

Fang’s home is cramped and chaotic—not even a dining table to gather around. One day, she visits her friend Qi’s birthday party and, for the first time, sits at a real table to share a meal. That simple moment awakens a longing she never knew she had.

A young man preparing to move into the city, a woman about to leave the city, briefly cross paths during a house viewing.A fleeting moment, too insignificant to mention. As if nothing had happened, yet not entirely so...

Two best friends, Mugen and Bingjie, are both re-taking the college entrance exam. As comrades, they understand and support each other’s dreams. On this day, Bingjie, as usual, goes over to Mugen’s house. They soon shift from earnestly preparing for the college interview to having a few drinks and having a heart-to-heart talk, cherishing these final days of their struggle together. However, a secret is unveiled under the influence of alcohol. On this stormy winter night, their relationship begins to falter…

One is free to express emotions, while the other is accustomed to a closed-off life. Yet, de- spite their extremely different personalities, Xuan and Anne share a common identity in the world̶about a sense of alienation, a kind of loneliness.

Once inseparable in high school, the three friends drifted into their own lives after graduation—studies, work, the ordinary distance of time. Only when all three gathered did it feel like the group was truly whole. On this night, they came together again. Tomorrow, Hui-An would leave Hualien. There were no farewells, no ceremony—just the quiet end of an evening, and each returning home. Nothing seemed to be taken, and yet, the most precious things lingered with them.

Graduation is approaching, marking the close of a chapter. I took my camera to Green Island, recording video letters day by day. But the camera became unruly, backup batteries went missing, and the trip began to go downhill. Typhoons arrived, and the video letters ceased... Finally, facing the sea beneath the sun, my camera non-responsive, I took a Dramamine, then boated back home.

As tensions escalate across the Taiwan Strait, a theatre photographer unknowingly captures a ghost. From that moment on, the theatre begins to quietly take the place of reality. Based on true stories, this film explores war — what has passed and what waits across the strait.