After young Tutu kills a bear to save his little brothers life, he is considered an outcast as bears are sacred to the Lonki tribe. Years later Tutu and Linzi struggle to get by and work as lumberjacks near the forest they grew up in. When they both fall for the same woman, it drives the brothers apart. While Linzi connects more and more with nature and the forest, Tutu chooses another path. Through their story, we experience the deep connection of all living things and witness the mysterious retribution wrought by nature on humans who wound it. The film gives us an opportunity to contemplate our relationship with Mother Earth.
Cinematography
Forest as character, not backdrop — every frame breathes menace.
Direction
Cao Jinling lets dread simmer without cheap jump scares.
Practical Effects
Bear sequences that feel uncomfortably real.
Director
Cao Jinling
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The Lonki tribe's bear worship draws from real Tungusic and Ainu traditions where bears are honored as kin and gods.
Cao Jinling spent months living with ethnic minorities in northeast China; the lumberjack camp was built on an actual deforestation site.
CN
