Drama. French-Belgian-Swiss co-production. (Original title: L’Âme du Tigre)
Alex Chen is rock-climbing with his girlfriend when their blissful weekend escape is interrupted by shocking news: Alex’s brother, Jun, has suddenly dropped dead. As Alex returns to Paris to mourn and investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding Jun’s death, he begins confronting his long-ignored Chinese heritage. Believing that Jun’s fate is tied to visits to China, Alex enlists his Chinese cousin, Lili, as a kind of cultural emissary/translator to find out more. As he digs deeper, Alex becomes enmeshed in cultural conflict, torn between Lili and his steady French paramour, and finding himself mediating a rupture between his Chinese father, who seeks refuge in rituals, and his inconsolable French mother, who wants to grieve privately.
Defoe’s film clip is here.