In an isolated castle, students prepare for a life-changing examination. As anticipation builds to a fever pitch, a storm strikes. Trapped within crumbling walls, their academic sanctuary becomes a prison, and minds begin to break. Year of production 2025 Length 21' CountryUSA/China Shooting Format Digital Aspect Ratio 1.5:1 in FLAT Dialogue Mandarin
DirectorAltay Ulan Yang Producers Altay Ulan Yang, Edyta Yutong Deng Production Company X99 Films Executive Producer Altay Ulan Yang Writer Altay Ulan Yang CinematographersHu Yinghai, Fang Jiacheng Editors Zhang Zhongchen, Altay Ulan Yang First Assistant Director Hou Tianyu Production DesignerZhou Guanghan Art DirectorSun Shangzhe Costume Designer Gao Yueer Hair&Makeup Designer Chen Jiaxin Sound Designers Dong Borui, Zhen Cheng Original Music by Chen Ruotong Sound Mixer Dong Borui Colorist, Finishing & VFX Li Leyou Cast Huo Zhengjie, Hou Tianyu, Altay Ulan Yang, Chen Yanchen, Panlin Jingyi, Huo Boyuan, Dang Tongfang, Chen Xin, Jiang Rihua , Zhou Siyu, Wang Zhihua, Qu Yizhen
Director's Statement This story was born from my reality at sixteen. In the art studio where I studied, violence unfolded daily-- I existed as both perpetrator and victim. I hold no interest in bullying as a mere topic; I am captivated by the primal emotions that erupt from within us and their aesthetic possibility. When I return to these memories, they appear in black—childhood pain and terror magnified into distortion. The entire studio transforms into a shadowed castle in my mind. So our crew discovered an actual castle and reshaped it into a studio. Cinematically, we embraced early expressionism, allowing the imagery to evolve from structured light into illogical madness as the narrative deepens. In the film, I've crafted a sealed world. This isolation is crucial—the closed environment allows the group to form its own system of judgment, where all believe the victim deserves their fate. For me, this creates a profound cinematic moment: a collective performing a tear-evoking sacrificial ritual to forge their communion. Violence often emerges during the formation of social units, when individuals exist in chaos before becoming a group. A common enemy stabilizes their bonds. The ritual begins with a raised hand, and everything spirals toward extremity. I wanted everything in this film to reach extremity. I sought to trace these ancient emotions—this frenzy. People gradually transform in distorted, closed societies, unleashing an irresistible fever. The boys reach their climax during that rainy night, yet their pressure doesn't stem from the victim. This is merely release—tremendous group pressure demands an outlet. If it was not 90 – the student, there would be 80 or 85. I am drawn to this inescapable randomness. This frenzied sacrifice stands as a powerful metaphor for the absurdities we've witnessed in the past years. Finally, I believe violence possesses beauty. In the film's final five minutes, I simply witness violence as it unfolds, regardless of how sordid or contemptible it appears.
