Runqi Zheng portrays Xiaowei, who firmly believes his grandfather amassed significant wealth in Thailand. Driven by a hope for an early inheritance to resolve considerable debts, he embarks on a journey using a secretly obtained address from one of his grandmother’s letters. However, the reality awaiting him differs considerably from what he envisioned. While numerous schools bear the name "Bak-seng" (Zheng Musheng), no one seems to remember the man himself. He then learns about a figure known as “Iron Fish,” and through emotionally charged flashbacks, more details emerge regarding his departure from his wife and young family during the Chinese civil war—a narrative that contrasts with the reputation he maintained back home. For years following his departure, regular remittances, or qiaopi, were sent to support his family, but these ceased in 1978. Upon discovering his grandfather’s death in 1960, Xiaowei's mission shifts to identifying who continued sending the money and understanding their motivation. A photograph included in a final letter might hold the key. Finding "Tsia Nam-Ki" (Xie Nanzhi) appears crucial for uncovering answers. Although the film unfolds at a deliberate pace and occasionally leans toward sentimentality, it remains a well-crafted and moving love story that also highlights societal norms of an era when literacy was scarce—particularly for women—and how easily miscommunication could lead to lifelong feelings of emptiness. The movie portrays a world filled with letter writers sending money from relatively stable regions of Southeast Asia, these bureaus acting as vital support systems for people in war-torn and Communist China. It deviates from conventional storytelling and concludes somewhat abruptly, not quite as anticipated. I observed a genuine connection between Zheng Musheng and Xie Nanzhi; the production design is visually appealing and convincingly authentic, with touches of humor adding depth to the characters. From a Western perspective, it's a distinctive story about love, loss, and moral principles that deserves to be experienced in a cinema setting.

Source on TMDB