(FINALIST)
Original Film Title: Mortal Muddled Sage
Director’s Name: Gao Shumin
Writer’s Name: Gao Shumin
Producer: Gao Shumin
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Runtime: 9 minutes 18 seconds
Film Description:
This story tells of Yuanman, who was born simple-minded yet strikingly handsome. From a young age, he was bullied relentlessly in his village, with his mother as his only warm haven. Then came a sudden turn in late autumn — his mother, worn down by years of toil, fell ill and passed away. On her deathbed, she saw the portrait of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven that Yuanman had picked up, and entrusted him to the Great Sage’s care. She sewed for him a crimson robe and a golden headpiece, and carved a wooden staff like the Monkey King’s, praying that the Great Sage would protect her son from humiliation and harm for the rest of his life.
After his mother’s death, Yuanman wandered alone, begging for food, only to be set upon and beaten again. When he returned home, he saw the Great Sage costume his mother had left behind. He put it on and went begging along the streets — and unexpectedly, it earned him kindness from the world. Every day after begging, he would visit his parents’ grave to pay respects. One day, he fell asleep in front of the grave and, in a dream, received enlightenment from a celestial female official. Only then did he remember that he had once been a divine being in the upper realm. To protect the peace of this land, he chose to be reborn as a mortal. In traditional Chinese culture, a person is composed of three hun (spiritual souls governing intellect, morality, and consciousness) and seven po (corporeal spirits governing bodily functions, instincts, and emotions). He willingly sacrificed one of his three hun and two of seven po, thereby being reborn as a simpleton, living hidden among mortals to vanquish demons and evil.
When he woke, his eyes had lost their dullness and gained clarity and resolve — yet he still kept his simple, foolish appearance. Draped in the crimson robe and gripping the golden staff, by day he plays a stumbling beggar, watching over the mortal world’s bustling life; by night he becomes a nameless hero, guarding the peace of the land. With nothing but his lone courage, he keeps the village in quiet, enduring harmony.
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