The Year of the Ghost
Following his debut film Four Journeys (the opening film of IDFA 2021), in which he explores the suffering his family endured as a result of China’s one-child policy introduced in 1979, filmmaker Louis HotHotHot once again turns his camera on his family of origin. When he returns to China in 2022 because his father is seriously ill, a mandatory 28-day quarantine prevents him from being present for both his father’s death and his funeral.
After his death, his mother and sister each reshape their lives in their own way. His mother moves to the village where her husband is buried because she believes his gentle spirit still lingers there and needs care. His sister stays behind in Beijing. As a matchmaker, she helps others find love, while she herself is caught between the expectations imposed on her as a daughter and her desire for a family of her own. His father was the family’s shepherd, the one who always took care of them. Now Louis himself wanders like a lost sheep between Europe and China and is confronted with the painful question: who will take care of his mother now? Can he leave behind the independent life he has built in Europe to return to the family he left behind?
The Year of the Ghost explores the changing dynamics between men and women and the position of women within Chinese family life. Through themes such as memory, identity, and family history, the film shows how the past continues to shape the present and leaves its mark on the lives of individuals and families.
