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Hé mán

Eel
Perspectives 2025
© Static Film & Visual Art Productions
An isolated island lies on the outskirts of Taipei, a place where time and memory dissolve into the mist. A mysterious young woman appears on the island. Beautiful and elusive, she is a silent guardian of forgotten stories. A young man, who once dreamed of escape, returns to his hometown, but now he is caught between a past and a future that are both equally impossible to grasp. His path crosses with that of the woman in this abandoned yet vital corner of the world. On the island, where the past lingers in the shadows and the present vibrates with hidden forces, their lives intertwine. The film unfolds like a slow, intimate poem. The camera glides over misty waters, weaves through tangled undergrowth and captures the landscape’s emotional weight. The ambient soundscape blurs the boundary between the physical and emotional, bringing the film greater depth. Shifting light and reflections speak to the fluidity of time, desire and memory. Decay and growth, loss and renewal merge into a cinematic language that resonates deeply.
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by Chu Chun-Teng (Director, Screenplay), You Shann Jiun (Screenplay)
with Devin Pan, Misi Ke, Chin-Yu Pan, Bella Chen, Mei-Hou Wu Taiwan 2025 Taiwanese, Mandarin 102' Colour World premiere | Debut film

With

  • Devin Pan (Liang)
  • Misi Ke (Eel)
  • Chin-Yu Pan (Hao)
  • Bella Chen (Auntie Liu)
  • Mei-Hou Wu (Auntie Wu)

Crew

Director Chu Chun-Teng
Screenplay You Shann Jiun, Chu Chun-Teng
Cinematography Nguyễn Vinh Phúc
Editing Kuo Alulu, Chu Chun-Teng
Music An Tôn Thất
Sound Design Yan Sheng-Weng
Production Design Chang I-Feng
Producer Susan Huang
Executive Producers Chu Chun-Teng, Susan Huang, Rita Chuang Chun-Chun

Produced by

Static Film & Visual Art Production

World Sales

Parallax Films

Photos

Chu Chun-Teng

© Li Yu-Chi

The director received a master’s in fine art from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2010 after first studying film directing and cinematography, and making his graduation short film, The House of Sleeping Beauty, in 2006. The film was selected for festivals including Clermont-Ferrand and Singapore. After completing his BA in film, he shifted his focus to contemporary art. His work explores themes of individual existence, social hierarchy and political conflict, reflecting the dilemmas of modern society, and has been presented at major festivals and in art institutions around the world.

Filmography

2006 The House of Sleeping Beauty; short film 2025 Hé mán (Eel)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025