Premiere of New Works | "Bipolar": A Dreamlike Journey to Explore the Inner World

"Bipolar", which will be screened on June 18, held a crew meeting at Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) as the premiere film today. Director Li Mengqiao, actress Dou Jingtong, He Kailang, Tian Zhuangzhuang, and director of photography Ke Yuming attended the meeting together.

In "Bipolar", a girl played by Dou Jingtong who travels to Lhasa alone. After encountering an enshrined "God Shrimp", she decides to change her itinerary and bring it back to the sea. The film explores the mental state of the characters crushed and numb by modern life. Director Li Mengqiao summarized it as a film about "inner world".

"Dream" has always been favored by director Li Mengqiao. In "Bipolar", the protagonist pursues the memory and walks into the depths of her soul in the interlacing of dreams and reality. In the words of the lead actor He Kailang, this film creates a dream that can wake people from real life.

The black-and-white and sharp image style of the film gives the audience a strong visual impact. In this regard, the director of photography, Ke Yuming, said that the film’s image style is entirely to serve the plot and express emotions. At the beginning of the film, the protagonist's heart is closed, and then gradually opened. The scene also transitions from the narrowness of the city to the openness of nature, where the characters immerse in the scenery.

This is Dou Jingtong's first feature film in which she is the leading actress as the heroine. It is also the first time that she has lead the film music creation and production, and the first time she has participated so deeply in the creation of film. She accounted that all is because of her love for the story. The fifth-generation director Tian Zhuangzhuang has contributed superb acting skills in many works in recent years. He also participated in the film this time to support young filmmakers. He believes that this film tells people's cognition of one's own inner world and is about people's journey of consciousness. Tian Zhuangzhuang highly affirmed Dou Jingtong's acting skills. He said that although Dou Jingtong is not a professional actor, she can quickly find the mood of the role and express it in a real and natural manner.

For such an experimental film, Tian Zhuangzhuang believes that the film will indeed bring challenges to the audience’s viewing experience, but this is the charm of the film. “I believe that the audience will gain an insight into life if they watch it carefully.” Dou Jingtong advised the audience: "Keep an open heart, immerse yourself in it, and embark on this journey."