Synopsis
The film depicts a father’s endeavor to mend his relationship with his son during the COVID-19 lockdown by offering to bathe him daily. The father, who is also the director, aimed for a perfect family of three but faced his son’s resentment, which was due to the Oedipus complex. Despite the son’s attachment to the mother and his jealousy towards the father, the daily baths were proposed to change the dynamic. The pandemic, initially a global disaster, became an opportunity for them to strengthen their bond through the enforced home confinement. Amid the daily trivialities, occasional conflicts, medical care, and vaccinations, their relationship deepened. The father, steeped in traditional Chinese beliefs, reflected on his flaws in parenting, including chauvinistic attitudes and emotional outbursts.
Kang Shiwei
KANG Shiwei, PhD in literature, documentary filmmaker, and contracted producer of Japan Temjin TV company. His documentaries have garnered significant acclaim, winning the Best Documentary Award at the International Euro Film Festival and The Story That Matters at the DC Chinese Film Festival. He also received the Silver Award at the Chinese Ethnographic Documentary Academic Exhibition and a nomination for Best Documentary Film at the Chinese Documentary Academy Award. KANG's works have been featured in over ten film festivals worldwide, including the Davis International Film Festival in the United States, Toronto Film Week in Canada, the Real Film Festival in Russia, the Lumiere Film Festival in Italy, and the China (Guangzhou) International Documentary Film Festival. His documentaries have been purchased and broadcast by notable media outlets such as CBC Canada, NHK Japan, and Phoenix TV in Hong Kong.
Director's statement
This narrative focuses on mutual growth and education between father and son, exploring a participatory and reflexive style that evokes both warmth and depth, eliciting tears of joy.
