The Fourth Portrait

A ten-year-old boy whose father dies, triggering a collapse of his world. He steals to survive, longs for an elder brother he imagines, and repeatedly returns to drawings of a fragile figure by a riverbank as a motif for what is missing. His resilience and curiosity drive the film’s emotional core.

A quiet, compassionate caretaker who becomes Xiao Xiang’s ally. He helps the boy turn discarded items into small treasures and offers a rare sense of safety within the school’s margins, acting as a surrogate guardian during a time of upheaval.

Xiao Xiang’s birth mother who arrives to pull him into a new family. Her presence brings both potential care and tension as the relationship with the stepfather develops and past mysteries begin to surface.

The stern stepfather whose rigid demeanor creates a chilly distance. His firm exterior frames the family’s dynamics and becomes a focal point as hidden truths about Xiao Xiang’s past come to light.

The presence of the police heightens the investigation into the brother’s disappearance and probes the family’s handling of the past, intensifying the emotional stakes.

A minor figure tied to the father’s death, suggesting the communal rituals of loss and the fragility of life within the story.

A minor character encountered within the broader community surrounding Xiao Xiang, contributing to the film’s sense of social texture.