After the Snowmelt – Films – Visions du Réel

Xue Shui Xiao Rong De Ji Jie

Lo Yi-Shan
Taiwan, Japan | 2024 | 110 min
World premiere
Languages : Mandarin, Nepali, English
Subtitles : English, French

During a trek through the Himalayan mountains, a couple, Chun and Yueh, become trapped in a cave for 47 days. The tragic outcome of this expedition leads Lo Yi-Shan on a personal filmed quest to follow in the footsteps of their missing best friend, Chun, and their unconditional relationship. A poignant tale about bereavement and the slow process of healing.

Yi-Shan and Chun met at Catholic school and found in each other a cherished friend and a place of refuge in which to express their identity and their dreams. Some years later, Chun goes trekking in the Himalayas with his boyfriend Yueh. Yi-Shan is due to join them, but the couple vanishes without a trace in the formidable snow-covered landscape of Nepal. Yi-Shan builds the film around this tragic expedition, compiling images, voices and the last letter their best friend left them before dying. Growing closer to Yueh, who survived the ordeal, Yi-Shan embarks on a filmed search in the footsteps of their missing friend, exploring the meaning of this immeasurable loss. Filmed in the first person, After the Snowmelt clings to the elements of nature, formidable yet sublime, bringing together fragments of secrets shared in confidence, and weaves this sensitive tale into a poetic and powerful expression of the bonds of friendship and love.
Alice Fuchs

After the Snowmelt, 2024