Century Egg
2025 · 15m · Taiwan
Directed by Charles Chen Barratt
Genres: coming-of-age, drama
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tender
A man named Daniel returns to Taipei after decades of absence and finds the city transformed beyond his memories. Guided through the streets by a stranger, he confronts the disorienting gap between the home he left and the one he now inhabits.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Century Egg situates itself with quiet authority in a tradition of Taiwanese urban cinema — a debut work already fluent in the grammar of displacement, with festival recognition that confirms its standing.
Diasporic return to Taipei, cinematography that loses Daniel in crowds — Tsai Ming-liang and Kogonada are heavy comps to live up to. Beautiful framework, but I've seen many earnest 'returning home' shorts.
A Short of the Week pickup where Taipei alternates between swallowing Daniel in wide shots and pressing in close — Tsai by way of Kogonada's patience. Sounds composed and small in the best way.
Reviews
A poetic and sensorial depiction of returning to a place that used to be home. Crafted with subtlety, both the dialogue and the atmosphere convey the emotional depth.
Festivals
- Asia Sundance Film Festival 2025
- Palm Springs ShortFest 2025