Asian Pop-Up Cinema Season 12

Wisdom Tooth (China) - Past Film

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“There’s much to admire in this intriguing, textured account of simmering sibling tensions, secrets and jealousy. ” --Wendy Ide, Screen International 

Young adult Guxi lives with her half-brother Guliang in a somewhat depressing fishing village. They have a good life, almost like a couple. She is a maid at a hotel, he fishes. When an oil spill threatens their income, a friend gets him work and he meets the attractive Qingchang. She brings fun, adventure and a hint of luxury to their lives, but also causes unrest. Her father is a mob boss and Guxi has trouble with the budding romance. Things come to a head when a fisherman dies at sea under suspicious circumstances. 


Debut filmmaker Liang Ming fluidly tells this convincing tale, subtly revealing the characters' mutual relations and suppressed, complex emotions. Tension rises naturally, no artifice required and aided by good acting, all in a world that shifts between colourful and warm, and cold and threatening. --International Film Festival Rotterdam



Director Liang Ming



Trained as an actor at Communication University of China, Liang Ming starred in several award-winning films including Lou Ye’s SPRING FEVER (2009 Cannes Competition) and SHADOW DAYS (2014 Berlin Forum). He later turned his interests into directing, and worked as an assistant director on Lou Ye’s MYSTERY (2012 Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival). WISDOM TOOTH is Liang Ming’s directorial debut, and premiered at the 3rd Pingyao International Film Festival In 2019. The film won both Fei Mu Awards for Best Director (Chinese-language Competition) and Roberto Rossellini Awards for Jury Award (International Competition), a rare feat in the history of the festival. 

  • Year
    2019
  • Runtime
    104 minutes
  • Country
    China
  • Premiere
    Midwest Premiere
  • Note
    Drama, Mandarin w/English subtitles
  • Director
    Liang Ming
  • Cast
    Celeste LV, WU Xiaoliang, WANG Jiajia, WANG Weishen, TAO Hai, CHEN Yongzhong