Lonely Encounter

Revolt is youth. The story centres around a teacher’s pet who strives his best only to become the eternal runner-up, and a pair of intelligent but diametrically different step-siblings. Set in 2012 during the transition to the new academic structure for senior secondary education and higher education, the young students reconsider and challenge the limits of sense and sensibility through seven exam questions. In their wet dreams, all rules go loose.

Liu Yang He, a landmark in Hunan province, is not only the film’s original title but also a well-known Communist folk song in China. It was written during the Agrarian Reform that precedes the Cultural Revolution. Youngsters were sent to farmlands and factories to experience intense labour. They sang to praise Chairman Mao. Kah-kah (Rain Lau) was permanently injured in an industrial accident during that time. When Kah-kah meets this amputated client (Ko Hon-man), they feel sympathy with each other and turn this sympathy into a possibility of love as if they were flowing into a river of no return. Here, Rain Lau’s sophisticated performance resembles her award-winning role in Queen of Temple Street (1990).

The mental instability affecting a woman, following a dementia diagnose, drag her and her husband between dream and reality. Across memories and oblivion, the interaction between care giver and receiver brings back moments of affection and emotional release.

Luna, a high school student, committed suicide. Her classmate, Sam, finds her death suspicious. Thus he tries getting in touch with her older sister, Solana, for more hints. One night, Sam finds Solana at the convenience store. Meanwhile a fight between gangsters happens. In the middle of the fight, a pistol dropped onto the ground. Solana picks up the gun instinctively. Sam helps Solana escape from the chaos. Two of them become partners immediately, and embark on a journey of truth - seeking. With a gun, they are determined to denounce the corruption of the school. In the end, they find out the mastermind. Yet, in front of the truth, Solana faces a choice between vengeance and forgiveness.