Baby

Executive produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien (The Assassin, MIFF 2015) and anchored by a powerhouse performance from popular star Yang Mi, this propulsive social thriller examines the far-reaching consequences of China’s one-child policy.

When she’s not cleaning a local children’s hospital, 19-year-old Jiang Meng endeavours to assist disadvantaged kids – born with a congenital condition, requiring multiple operations as a baby and then abandoned to foster care, she was one herself. Just as she’s trying to build her adult life, Meng discovers a newborn infant with the same illness she has, and a father who has decided against life-saving surgery.

Following the young woman’s determined fight, writer/director Liu Jie draws upon another true tale, as he did with previous features Courthouse on Horseback and Judge. With an impassioned attitude, Liu expertly builds the tension, escalating the everyday reality of China’s uncaring bureaucracy into a dynamic thriller that champions empathy above all else.

“Devastating yet brimming with tender compassion, the film is a veiled critique of the rigidity of Chinese state welfare, discrimination of women and the disabled, and how kindness nonetheless survives in a harsh world.” – Variety