A brief trip back home turns into a longer stay when Eric finds himself caught between catching up with his two sisters and conquering his old poker group. The more Eric extends his visit to prove that he is still the best poker player in town, the harder it becomes to steer clear of the old fault lines in his relationship with his sister Rachel. As their little sister Maggie attempts to recreate the intimate world they once shared, Eric and Rachel are faced with the divide between their childhood selves and the adults they have now become.Displaying all the sensitivity and wicked humour of his previous works, Dustin Guy Defa’s new film is a shrewd study of the pitiless condition known as adulthood. After growing up in a family unit that constitutes your whole world, with its particular set of habits and a shared language, crossing the border into the realm of adults can feel disempowering, even terrifying. A sense of loss may be difficult to ever really overcome. The film’s meticulous structure and novelistic depth lay bare this fundamental fear, but also the resources that exist to fight it. Setting about this treasure hunt deep within as individuals and as a family is an admirable trio of actors whose interpretation is as nuanced as it is poignant.
本片根据《聊斋志异》中同名故事改编。明朝年间,书生王崇文(高远)虽14岁就中秀才,却始终过不了乡试。乡试再次临近,一心想中举人的他害怕又名落孙山,开始求神问卜。某日他得道士指点,在半夜出门朝西北方向走去,来到一座名为魁星阁的破庙时,他没遇上道士所说的贵人,却见一位正在痛哭的美人(朱虹),紧接美人神奇消失。惆怅若失的王崇文回到家,美人竟从天至,并自称名叫梅娘,是乡试主考官的女儿。王崇文听后大喜,想借助她直上青云。随着与梅娘感情的增深,王崇文眼里越来越容不下妻子陈氏(陈娟娟),将之赶出家门。陈氏欲寻短见,被在外学武的小叔王崇武(翁午)救下,后者听完她的哭诉,归家欲看个究竟。很快,他和兄长看到骇人的一幕。