‘Watermelon Tree’, written and directed by Jay Zhao, is an eerie, poetic thriller that explores the hollow ache of heartbreak and the hallucinatory drift of purposelessness. Presented in Chinese with English subtitles, it’s a stunningly crafted short film that quietly detonates.
Ah-Fan (Steve Lu) is a man without anchor – no job, no love, no reason to wake up. He opens the film roadside in rural China, narrating his recurring dream: wandering endlessly through the countryside, pursued by nothing and everything. The dream began after his divorce from Ah-Yue (Baizhen Jiang), a ghost of a woman he can’t let go of.
Encouraged by his calm, enigmatic psychologist (King Cao), Ah-Fan visits Ah-Yue. But she has moved on – with a new lover, played with subtle menace by Bingchen Ye. Their dynamic is stiff, almost clinical. Ah-Fan hoped for resolution, but instead is confronted with the cold reality that the past no longer needs him. It’s a gut-punch moment – quiet, but searing.
The film’s production is flawless. Hanqi Zhang’s cinematography delivers a cold, blue-toned palette that feels both cinematic and intimate. The colour grading is bruised and beautiful. The sound design hums with tension. Everything looks and feels like it’s about to fracture.
The countdown motif that runs throughout adds a pulse of dread. You feel it building, something inevitable, something dreadful – and when it finally lands, the ending is both shocking and quietly cataclysmic.
‘Watermelon Tree’ is a strange, stirring triumph – layered with symbolism, laced with suspense, and unforgettable in its final beat. Highly recommended viewing.
