Piercing Water
Country:
- Taiwan
Language:
- Yami/ Tao
- Mandarin
Format:
- DCP
- Coming of Age
- Indigenous
- Ocean Culture
- Masculinity
- Mental Health
Synopsis
Orchid Island is a solitary volcanic island in the West Philippine Sea, anchored in the relentless Kuroshio Current. Vongnyan, a 20-year-old Yami youth, has recently returned home after a traumatic military service marked by bullying and a comrade’s suicide. By day he works at a construction site; by night he wanders the jagged coastline, breathing and sweating to quiet his unrest. His 17-year-old brother Bo moves freely through the sea, carefree by contrast. As their mother prays to repay the debt that brought Vongnyan home, Piercing Water observes two brothers suspended between trauma, myth, and an uncertain future, searching for peace and rest.
Director Statement
Following a long period of debilitating insomnia, I began to reflect on the "existential anxiety" that haunted my own youth. Seeing the rising rates of depression among today’s teenagers, I felt a need to find meaning in this shared helplessness. Piercing Water follows two brothers, Vongnyan and Bo, whose contrasting natures mirror one another like yin and yang. By observing their different ways of connecting with the world, I seek to answer a personal yet universal question: How do young men confront their inner restlessness and embrace vulnerability on the path to adulthood?
Festivals & Awards
2026 Visions du Réel - International Medium Length & Short Film Competition nomination
Team
Gallery
