The Fourth Portrait

After his father's death from illness, Xiao Xiang's world collapses as finances falter and stability evaporates. The ten-year-old is left to navigate grief largely on his own. This opening rupture sets the stage for the boy's improvisational survival.

At school, Xiao Xiang pockets a lunchbox, a reflex born of hunger and a need to assert some control. A rough-looking janitor witnesses the act and does not condemn him, instead offering a wary, quiet support. The encounter marks the beginning of an unlikely friendship that changes the boy's sense of belonging.

Together, they scavenge discarded items around the institution, turning forgotten objects into makeshift treasures. The simple activity gives Xiao Xiang a practical purpose and a reason to trust someone again. The janitor's steadiness helps the boy believe there might be a safe world beside the classroom.

As more time passes, the school corners gradually feel like a home in waiting, a fragile sanctuary where trust can sprout despite hardship. The partnership with the janitor deepens, and Xiao Xiang experiences a rare sense of place and safety. Yet the stability is delicate and easily unsettled by outside threats.

The long-lost mother Wu Chun-Lan returns to claim him, pulling Xiao Xiang into a brand-new family. Her arrival is followed quickly by the stepfather's entrance, jolting the boy's sense of belonging. The home becomes a scene of mutual adjustment, as past shadows begin to resurface.

The stepfather's stern disposition creates a chilly distance, and Xiao Xiang senses the friction between his mother and the man meant to guide him. The fragile sanctuary he once found in the janitor's world seems increasingly distant. Tension rises as adults circle around his presence with measured caution.

Xiao Xiang's chance encounter with Gun Boy sends him wandering and, at times, stealing again as a means of survival. He clings to the belief that an older brother exists somewhere, a figure who might anchor his fractured memory. These ideas haunt his drawings and dreams, shaping his day-to-day choices.

The art teacher notices a recurring motif in Xiao Xiang's drawings: a fragile body walking along a riverbank. She challenges his mother to confront gaps in schooling and the missing brother in the child's records. The moment becomes a catalyst, pushing the family toward a reckoning they have long avoided.

As the investigation unfolds, the police become involved, adding pressure to an already strained household. Each new piece of information unsettles the household's fragile balance and deepens the mystery surrounding the brother's disappearance. The bearing of authority presses Xiao Xiang to confront truths that have been kept in the shadows.

In a pivotal moment, the stepfather delivers a powerful monologue that cuts through fear and misunderstanding. The speech lays bare the painful reality of the brother's disappearance and reframes the family's past. The revelation forces a reckoning that redefines loyalties and responsibilities.

What emerges is a labyrinth of choices, secrets, and consequences rather than a neat conclusion. The family must learn to live with the truth while slowly rebuilding trust through difficult, careful steps. The film tracks how memory and responsibility shape the path forward.

The story ends with Xiao Xiang standing at the edge of a new chapter, acknowledging the past while choosing to move forward. A cautious, hopeful gaze accompanies a life shaped by memory, honesty, and resilience. The final note rests on the possibility of belonging that endures beyond pain.