Pylons
2026 · 3m
Directed by Haiqing Qi
Genres: coming-of-age, experimental
Tones: contemplative, surreal, whimsical
An offbeat, non-linear piece threaded with jumpy logic and imagery, designed to feel like playing Chinese checkers.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
Finally—a coming-of-age that doesn't pretend linearity is a virtue, where the jumpy logic *is* the point, not a flaw to forgive. Qi's willingness to let the narrative play like Chinese checkers instead of chess makes every other earnest indie look embarrassingly straightforward.
The non-linear architecture risks incoherence, though there's rigor in how the surreal imagery threads together—one senses a deliberate conversation with experimental cinema's playfulness, even if the throughline remains deliberately obscured.
The structural choice to mirror a board game's logic rather than plot mechanics is smart, but it's the decision to sustain the whimsy *without* irony that does the work—keeps the piece feeling earned instead of arch in just 3 minutes.