Shen hai

Recently released from prison, A-Yu is a young woman tormented by the feeling that happiness is eluding her. Her fellow inmate Anne promised she would look after her, but even the lover that Anne has arranged for her immediately disappears after their first night together. A young man in the factory where she had just got a job is interested in her, and looks as if he might be able to offer A-Yu everything she longs for, if only she could become independent, as an adult and responsible woman. The trouble is that A-Yu, heroine of a film with the subtitle, "Life is hard, let's cha-cha-cha when things go wrong!", still needs someone else to take the lead in her dance of life. Sick in her soul, she is eternally sad and over-sensitive, eternally passive and childish in her relationship towards men and her friend Anne. Perhaps the only person who can ultimately help her to understand herself and live a fuller life is an autistic fisherman who communicates with people through hand puppets. (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival)