妈妈的爸爸 Original

Wang Zhao returns to her hometown after more than a decade, with her daughter Xiaoya, to bid farewell to her dying father. Faced with her father's body soon to be cremated, her brothers' moral coercion, and the shadows of childhood trauma, she retreats into her phone and work, building herself into an impenetrable wall. Xiaoya accidentally wanders into her grandfather's room and finds an old photograph—torn and carefully taped back together. In it, a young grandfather holds a two-year-old mother, both smiling. The photograph her mother had completely forgotten ever existed eventually finds its way into her hands.

Mom's Dad is not a film about forgiveness. It tells the story of someone wounded by her family of origin who still chooses to move forward—without reconciliation. Through restrained yet warm imagery, the film asks every person carrying the imprint of their upbringing: If some wounds can never be fully smoothed over, how do we keep going?

In the film, an old photograph, a dying whisper, a piece of candy slipped into a palm—these small gestures of kindness aren't enough to heal trauma. But they are enough to let a trapped person loosen their clenched fists.