BANR made its world premiere at the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival in its new location in Los Angeles. The film was written, directed, and produced by Erica Xia-Hou and serves as her directorial debut. Known for her roles in Bleeding Steel with Jackie Chan and the upcoming Fox Hunt with Tony Leung and Olga Kurylenko, the Chinese actress delivers the only narrative feature from Asia selected for Slamdance this year.
The film is not for the emotionally weak. Filmed in an actual nursing home, a marriage that spanned four decades is upended by death and Alzheimer’s. The story features a collection of fragmented memories that are put together across 110 minutes.
Husband and father Zhang Jianjun (Sui Li) left behind a collection of videos for his wife, Liu Ximei (Baoqing Li), who suffers from Alzheimer’s. He gently informs her that if she’s watching this video, that means he’s no longer able to care for her. The film follows Zhang Jianjun in a series of memories as he cares for his wife and handles various tasks throughout the day. He clashes with his daughter, Zhang Yun Yun (Erica Xia-Hou), on whether she should be placed in a home, as her condition begins to worsen.
At home with plenty of food, a goldfish, and their “son” Lele, the family dog, the household operated like any other. The relationship is unique between Liu and her husband. He acts as though she’s a lot to manage and constantly comes behind her to sort matters, but refuses assistance with her care. His first big scare was when he lost her in the market. She wandered off to a park and sat on a swing. The scene shifts to her husband at home, crying in solitude as he hasn’t seen her since earlier in the day.
The very thought of losing a loved one in a highly congested area or falling when left alone is horrific. These scenes echo the very real fears that caretakers experience when a loved one experiences memory loss. The overall tone of the film was quite sad, but the high points were the funny dialogue shared between Zhang Jianjun and Liu Ximei. The constant chirping back and forth brought a necessary amount of humor to keep things level. Without it, the film would’ve barrel-rolled into depression. A nice touch from the director showed Zhang Jianjun’s growth over time. Yun Yun made it known he had no business caring for their mother since she cared for him their entire marriage. Defiant as ever, he went from a novice at household chores to caring for her every need on schedule.
My mom understood me the best, but now she doesn’t remember me. I’m more lonely than you are.”
Yun Yun
In an interview with Hollywood Chicago, Xia-Hou reveals how she originally wanted to cast Jackie Chan for the father’s role but chose Sui Li thanks to her mother. “I later learned about an elderly gentleman (Sui Li) through my mother, who is friends with him. She shared his life experiences with me,” she said. “His personal journey closely aligned with the character I envisioned, and his passionate personality left a strong impression on me.”
One thing that can’t be denied here is the linear connection between memories and emotions. It’s better to feel something than to feel nothing, partly why her husband recorded so many videos. Furthermore, not all of the videos were happy memories. You had your garden variety fruit theft and hiding leftovers in a drawer, but he also chastised her for soiling herself and argued with Yun Yun in her presence. Whether good or bad, he wanted to make sure she remembered it all to have something to hold on to.
I give BANR a 7.5 out of 10. One thing I love about Asian cinema is the way films approach evoking emotion. I love that emotions get targeted without the use of violence or explicit language; easy, shock value maneuvers. The film was a bit too long for my taste, but even so, the emotions were running a mile a minute. The sound seemed like it was unbalanced in various scenes and others felt too drawn out. But overall, this was a formidable first outing by Erica Xia-Hou and Sui Li was simply spectacular.
Learn more about BANR’s premiere at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of the BANR team
Genre: Romance, Life
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 110 mins.
Trailer: Trailer
World Premiere: Friday, Feb. 21 at Slamdance Film Festival