Us and Them

The narrative alternates between the past and the present, using color to depict the former and black-and-white for the latter. The past chronicles the couple’s early, hopeful years during New Year celebrations, while the present follows how memory and choices echo through their lives. The timeframe captures contemporary urban China and the evolving dynamics of love, career, and family.

Beijing, China serves as the film's core setting, a sprawling megacity where ambition collides with everyday struggle. The story unfolds on crowded trains during the Chunyun travel season, in a tiny room within a Beijing complex, and through the city’s vibrant restaurant scene. The fast pace of urban life and the tech-driven culture shape the characters' choices and opportunities.

💖 Love & Fate

A chance meeting on a train ignites a bond that time and circumstance strain. The film asks whether love is destiny or a series of deliberate choices shaped by growing apart and reuniting.

⏳ Time & Memory

Two timelines—colorful past and monochrome present—show how memories influence present decisions. Time reveals how wealth, status, and maturity alter relationships, yet memories keep the connection alive.

🪪 Identity

The story tests authenticity against social expectations—career success, family duty, and appearances. The father’s illness and the couple’s divergent paths probe what it means to stay true to oneself and to each other.