When travelling to another place, another city, another town, there’s a certain anonymity that frees one’s self. No one knows who you are, so you’re not expected to maintain a certain personality, and that can be necessary for young people trying to find their way. The Breaking Ice shows this in a fairly sentimental way, juxtaposing the wintry, snowy landscape with the warm but fleeting connection forming between three lonely adults, but there’s just something honest in the way the three try to hide but still share the same youthful ennui, even if they come from vastly different backgrounds. The Breaking Ice might not be daring enough to delve into the queer aspect of this trio, but it’s still a lovely, well-crafted drama contemplating the youth’s melancholy.
Synopsis
In cold wintry Yanji, a city on China's northern border, young urbanite Haofeng, visiting from Shanghai, feels lost and adrift. By chance, he goes on a tour led by Nana, a charming tour guide who instantly fascinates him. She introduces him to Xiao, a personable but frustrated restaurant worker. The three bond quickly over a drunken weekend. Confronting their individual traumas, their frozen desires slowly thaw as they seek to liberate themselves from an icy world.
Storyline
In Yanji, a city on China’s northern border, young Shanghai urbanite Haofeng meets charming tour guide Nana and likeable restaurant worker Xiao in a weekend that slowly thaws their heart’s desires.
TLDR
LF: New friends to frolic in the snow and alleviate my depression with.
What stands out
Yanji isn’t a really big tourist spot, in part due to the cold, but it just looks so beautiful here that I’m considering the possibility of this film being a tourism ad.
