Childhood could be compared to a butterfly’s wing. So vital to the creature’s navigation yet so delicate that any human could tear it and impair it forever, the similar fragility of a young mind is not something that should ever be ill-treated. Director and actor Dong Zijian’s My Friend An Delie, in all its care and profoundly spread-out storytelling, is a film that will lie to you. 

We follow Li Mo (Liu Haoran) on the road for his father’s funeral when he bumps into an old friend, and the journey becomes obscured. Stowed away in the recesses of his mind, everything else about Li Mo’s life is put on pause as the embers of his childhood friendship start to glow once again. When the ties in his mind start to unravel, the presence of An Delie (Dong Zijian) becomes the driving force of his quest for closure.

The casting is otherworldly, as not only did they manage to find a child Li Mo (Chi Xingkai) that looks like he could be Liu’s son, but he’s also one that acts impressively well for his age, crying on command and portraying pain, trauma, and psychosis like a pro actor. Han Haolin is also perfect as a young An Delie, although that is an easier feat, considering his adult self is just as kooky and childish as any middle schooler. The pairs have great chemistry: both young and old, which only gives more merit to Dong, who evidently assured the narrative would not be lost on any viewer. And when the lie comes, you’ll wish you’d have spotted it sooner. 

The flicks between past and present are endlessly elegant, always spawning from some ironic connection or parallel that doesn’t try to be pretentiously subtle. An early-film example of this is presented in a young An Delie asking Li Mo why he left so suddenly, following a memory of the latter’s mum leaving him and his dad one cold night. It’s not just a fun bit of parallelism for filmmaking points; the memory itself answers the question asked. This way of bringing things together is consistent until the end; ultimately, you’ll be left with a sense of fulfilment, albeit melancholy. A young Li Mo encapsulates this: ‘Funerals are for the living.’

There is an apparent use of colour as identifiers of themes in this film: the frosty vivid blues for glum scenes of uncertainty; fiery tones for the totems of comfort, from sparklers to hot air balloons. A primitive but beautiful score fills in the slower, sombre gaps, and we, too, as the audience, find respite in the fire.

Such as the ending of one particular character’s return to a rustic haven of their childhood, everything meets its conclusion; all loose ends are tied. Simply, My Friend An Delie is a journey through snow and concrete to find one’s resolution, with timely flashbacks pasted in to complete the story. It needs the time you give it, and will be divisive among viewers who only consume baby food concocted of bombast and flashiness. If you’ve ever experienced grief, My Friend An Delie will nurture your weary soul. 

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Featured image courtesy of Far East Film Festival

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