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What hap\u00adpens when the past doesn\u2019t leave but lingers \u2013 qui\u00adet, unre\u00adsolved, and heavy? At Queer East 2025<\/span>, grief and mem\u00ado\u00adry seemed to haunt not only the nar\u00adra\u00adtives but also the struc\u00adture of the films them\u00adselves, writ\u00adten into their pac\u00ading, silences and rep\u00ade\u00adti\u00adtions. In Wang Ping-Wen and Peng Tzu-Hui\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>A\u00a0Jour\u00adney in Spring,\u00a0<\/i>mourn\u00ading is deferred, stretched and avoid\u00aded through the rigid res\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion of a\u00a0man who con\u00adtin\u00adues to live accord\u00ading to his dai\u00adly rou\u00adtine along\u00adside his wife\u2019s deceased body, in denial of her death. In Aki\u00adhi\u00adro Suzuki\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Look\u00ading For An Angel<\/i>, the film traces the life of a\u00a0young porn star who died vio\u00adlent\u00adly through rec\u00adol\u00adlec\u00adtions from those who knew him. In the for\u00admer, grief is shaped by the qui\u00adet ache of los\u00ading a\u00a0life\u00adlong part\u00adner who had become insep\u00ada\u00adra\u00adble from one\u2019s own self; in the lat\u00adter, it is mould\u00aded by a\u00a0future that could have been, cut short before it could be ful\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00adenced. Both are shaped by the unre\u00adsolved weight of absence; yet one mourns the end of a\u00a0shared life\u00adtime, while the oth\u00ader con\u00adtends with the bru\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty of era\u00adsure. What emerges is a\u00a0sense of emo\u00adtion\u00adal haunt\u00ading, as char\u00adac\u00adters grap\u00adple with a\u00a0grief-induced rup\u00adture in the tem\u00adpo\u00adral\u00adi\u00adty of every\u00adday\u00a0life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Set in a\u00a0lush green rain-soaked hill\u00adside just beyond Taipei,\u00a0<\/span>A\u00a0Jour\u00adney in Spring\u00a0<\/i>unfolds in a\u00a0qui\u00adet, tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal home, seem\u00ading\u00adly untouched by moder\u00adni\u00adty. Khim-Hok (King Jieh-Wen), an age\u00ading, con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive man, and his wife Siu-Tuan (Kuei-Mei Yang, known for her icon\u00adic role in\u00a0<\/span>Vive L\u2019Amour<\/i>) ven\u00adture up and down the moun\u00adtain into town to com\u00adplete errands before return\u00ading to their seclud\u00aded abode. Their domes\u00adtic life is punc\u00adtu\u00adat\u00aded by bick\u00ader\u00ading and brief men\u00adtions of their estranged queer son. When Siu-Tuan sud\u00adden\u00adly dies, Khim-Hok places her body in a\u00a0freez\u00ader, unable to con\u00adfront her pass\u00ading, and con\u00adtin\u00adues with his days as if she were still there. Much of his emo\u00adtion is with\u00adheld; he fix\u00ades the plumb\u00ading, gets a\u00a0job at a\u00a0noo\u00addle shop, and sits in silence by him\u00adself. One of the few moments where his rou\u00adtine fal\u00adters comes when he opens the freez\u00ader to add more ice. He stops, looks at her, and reach\u00ades out ten\u00adder\u00adly to touch her face. The close-up cap\u00adtures her fea\u00adtures through the soft tex\u00adtures of the film\u2019s 16<\/span>mm medi\u00adum, lend\u00ading a\u00a0warmth that feels both inti\u00admate and frag\u00adile. This still\u00adness, paired with his cry, breaks the busy rhythm that has so far kept Khim-Hok\u2019s emo\u00adtion at bay. It is a\u00a0ges\u00adture of star\u00adtling vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty that breaks through his denial, mak\u00ading grief impos\u00adsi\u00adble to sup\u00adpress any longer.<\/span><\/p>\n When their son returns, the seclu\u00adsion which had so far allowed Khim-Hok to con\u00adtin\u00adue liv\u00ading with his wife is encroached, dis\u00adrupt\u00ading the frag\u00adile tem\u00adpo\u00adral sus\u00adpen\u00adsion of his grief. As they pre\u00adpare for the funer\u00adal, the rela\u00adtion\u00adship between Khim-Hok, his son, and the son\u2019s part\u00adner remains lacon\u00adic and steely. In sev\u00ader\u00adal scenes, the three men spa\u00adtial\u00adly occu\u00adpy the frame, but they often stand apart, often\u00adtimes the dad with\u00adin the back\u00adground and the cou\u00adple in the fore\u00adground or vice ver\u00adsa. The com\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtion itself reflects their dis\u00adcon\u00adnec\u00adtion: three peo\u00adple mov\u00ading through the same rit\u00adu\u00adals across entire\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent spa\u00adtial and tem\u00adpo\u00adral planes. This intri\u00adcate chore\u00adog\u00adra\u00adphy stands in qui\u00adet con\u00adtrast to ear\u00adli\u00ader scenes, where Khim-Hok and his wife moved in gen\u00adtle sync. Often walk\u00ading slight\u00adly apart, they still fol\u00adlowed one anoth\u00ader, occu\u00adpy\u00ading the frame with a\u00a0rhythm that felt habit\u00adu\u00adal and inter\u00adde\u00adpen\u00addent. Their shared pres\u00adence ground\u00aded the frame with a\u00a0qui\u00adet inti\u00adma\u00adcy that now feels con\u00adspic\u00adu\u00adous\u00adly absent. Just before the cre\u00adma\u00adtion, Khim-Hok places his wife\u2019s body in a\u00a0truck and takes her on a\u00a0final jour\u00adney and speaks to her as if she were still alive. Her pres\u00adence is not mor\u00adbid, but com\u00adfort\u00ading<\/span>,<\/strong> mark\u00ading a\u00a0shift from the ear\u00adli\u00ader freez\u00ader scene where his denial felt des\u00adper\u00adate. Now there is ten\u00adder\u00adness, a\u00a0qui\u00adet attempt to stay close and say good\u00adbye on his own terms. In the end, the film returns to its open\u00ading shot \u2013 Khim-Hok seat\u00aded before the water\u00adfall that his wife had desired to vis\u00adit togeth\u00ader, now car\u00adry\u00ading the full weight of their shared mem\u00ado\u00adries and her pass\u00ading<\/span>.<\/strong> Life con\u00adtin\u00adues, but he remains sus\u00adpend\u00aded in grief, and his every\u00adday life is shaped by absence: not the kind that fades, but the kind that set\u00adtles in and lingers.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n