Toxic Relationships

Gudo is a Soul Keeper, a spirit who guides human souls into their next life. When he befriends a young girl named Yuri, he discovers that her untimely death has left her cursed with unresolved rage and regret. As Yuri’s soul teeters on the edge of annihilation, Gudo embarks on a dangerous journey to stop her from unleashing horrible destruction on both the human world and the spirit realm.

Ashes are all that remain when someone dies, as the rest of us carry on with the remembrance of the past, in the form of things that continue to burden us. Granny Di makes a meagre living out of recycling cardboard and found objects on the street, carrying the ashes of her late husband wherever she goes. As the going gets tough, she is reduced to stealing and selling sacrificial offerings from the funeral home. Ellen Liu plays the desolate and desperate Granny Di, rendering a lively and moving performance with a human touch. The short brings us through the nooks and crannies of Hung Hom district, chronicling a sorrowful tale about forsaken old age.

Poetry on Film is a moving image commissioning project for young and emerging Hong Kong filmmakers, motivated by the belief that poetry possesses an inherent cinematic quality. Its rhythmic cadence, vivid imagery, and emotional depth offer a rich tapestry for filmmakers to weave their visual narratives. Animator STEP C., narrative filmmaker Chu Hoi Ying, analogue film artist Jolene Mok, and documentarian Lee Wai Shing were asked to choose a contemporary Chinese-language poem written by a local writer, then visualise it using their personal cinematic language. The resulting shorts showcase the diversity of Hong Kong moving image practice, with unique approaches to medium, storytelling, cinematography, and sound.

Inspired by the poem A Snail in a Phone Box (2006) by Dr Eric Lui. The work synthesises new insights into visuals and poetry. What begins as a promise evolves into an exploration of the emotional links between poetry and the art of loving, eventually transforming into a hegemony of power. To recreate this message, director and animator Step C. developed a new surreal style that combines live action with animation, building a realm that blurs the boundaries between reality and dreams.

The film portrays the author's fear of how Hong Kong has changed and how she faces her emotions. It feels like the soul is broken into many pieces, but if we survive, depths of night will eventually pass.

We can see things differently when we see things from different angles.