UK Premiere
Guo Ran 果然
C-FILMS IN FOCUS
Year of Production 2025
Production Countries/Regions China
Duration 87 mins
Genres Drama
Dialogue Language(s) Mandarin
Subtitle Language(s) English
Director(s) Dongmei Li
Director’s Bio
Dongmei Li is a Chinese young director and screenwriter, who graduated from the University of Melbourne. Her first feature film as director and writer, Mama, won Ingmar Bergman award at 44th Goteborg film festival, best picture at 4th Pingyao international film festival, and got nominated at 77th Venice international film festival, 45th Hong Kong international film festival. Her second film Guo Ran premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Synopsis
Through the theme of time, the movie looks closely at a woman who is about to become a mother and presents this journey of gain and loss in her life.
Festivals & Awards
2025 International Film Festival Rotterdam – Tiger Competition
2025 Pingyao International Film Festival – Best Film Nomination
Scriptwriter(s)
Dongmei Li
Producer(s)
Qi Ai
Executive Producer(s)
Marco Muller
Key Casts
Li Mandan, Wang Yitong
Curators’ note
Director’s Statement
Guo Ran embodies Byung-Chul Han’s notion of the ‘punctum’ — a quiet, lingering sting beneath the surface of the visible. The film observes a woman through pregnancy, loss, and the return to ordinary life, not with drama, but with a patient gaze. It traces the subtle shifts in her body, the unsaid in her silence, the intimacy of her private world. Through restrained sound and imagery, it collects everyday fragments, seeking a poetry that resides beyond explanation—a punctum that aches, sings, and remains.
