The Silk and the Flame

With the advent of the Chinese New Year, Yao leaves Beijing to spend the holiday with his parents in the tiny village where he was born. He is struck by the contrast between the traditional ways he is compelled to follow and the future he strives for. Had his mother not been mute and his father disabled, he would proudly announce his homosexuality. But given the despondent reality, he considers marrying a woman if only to satisfy his loved ones. He imagines himself a moth who dares to enter the fire’s light, despite the bitter consequences. A delicate yet powerful documentary about the poetics and courage involved in a single man’s struggle for recognition.