Xiaowei, a former professional footballer in China, now operates an illegal taxi service for Chinese tourists in Tokyo. After narrowly avoiding an immigration official’s checks in Ueno, he ferries his son Yangyang to a football club tryout and watches over the boy in the hopes that lad can earn a place on a team but, despite having taken a Japanese name and playing by the rules, Yangyang’s Chinese ancestry makes him an outsider, too…

Following on from “Half Time” (2023, OAFF 2024) and “Life is Snow” (OAFF 2025), ZHANG Yaoyuan and ABE Tsuyoshi continue to examine the prejudices faced by Chinese immigrants. Softening the harsh encounters on their day-long journey is the slow reveal of love between a protective father with a hard-bitten attitude and a diligent son who strives to do his best for his old man.
(Text by Jason Maher)