The narration makes it clear: the one who gets left behind suffers. A Bejinger named Simon (Xuan Huang) returns to Auckland to make good on a promise to spread the ashes of his late wife Yun (Caiyu Yang) in her favorite place. Characters enter and exit director Xiaogang Feng’s narrative; many add gravitas — most notably the couple’s best friend Melinda (Lydia Peckham) — but all leave an indelible impression. Some are given but a sentence or two: “I’ve been through this. I understand,” says the anonymous woman seated in the veterinarian’s waiting room, trying to comfort Simon over the passing of his dog, Blue. (Never has a film paid such loving attention to euthanizing a pet.) And that’s just the first hour. The skipper’s reaction after Simon finishes telling him about Yun is hands down the most beautiful moment put on screen this year. Based on a true love story, there isn’t an emotional experience with which to warm your heart this holiday season than comes close to this. (2019) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.