Private Project

Circuit Breaker

In the spring of 2020, Gu and her college friend Su exchange to the US for a semester and live in the house of Gu’s aunt, who immigrated there long ago. However, classes change online and the flights back home are either canceled or delayed without a date due to the Covid and the Circuit Breaker Measures from CAAC. The house becomes an isolated island. The uncle keeps sexually assaulting Su on the pretext of a goodnight hug, but Su chooses to bear it as a cost for them to stay. Meanwhile, the basement where two girls find relief through exercise also hides a secret.

  • Wenxin Zhou
    Director
  • Wenxin Zhou
    Writer
  • Wenxin Zhou
    Producer
  • Keyen Hsu
    Key Cast
    "Su Yun"
  • Olivia Xing
    Key Cast
    "Gu Xin"
  • Zhan Wang
    Key Cast
    "Uncle"
  • Yosilu Chen
    Key Cast
    "Aunt"
  • Joseph Chih
    Director of Photography
  • Runqing Wen
    Production Designer
  • Lonn Hayes
    Sound Designer
  • Jocelyn Zhao
    Assistant Director
  • Yizhe Ye
    Chief Lighting Technician
  • Yukun Chan
    Camera Operator
  • Daniel Haoxiang Qi
    Assistant Camera
  • Peiyuan Xi
    Assistant Camera
  • Meanop Tan
    Production Sound
  • Jingpei Wang
    Set Dressing
  • Alex Gao
    Production Assistant
  • Pinyan Zhu
    Production Assistant
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    熔春
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 12, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    China
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 4K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - California Institute of the Arts
Director Biography - Wenxin Zhou

Wenxin Zhou, born in Hangzhou, China in 1999, received her BFA in Art and Technology (Information Art Design) at Tsinghua University in 2021 and is pursuing her MFA in Film and Video at California Institute of the Arts. Her works vary in media and forms, but all seek empathy in the flow of emotions.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The past three years of the pandemic bury a lot of stories. Many have chosen to remain silent because their sufferings are not worth mentioning in comparison to the bigger sufferings of others, like a drop in the ocean. So people can only blame Covid for everything. However, Covid is never the source of problems but the magnifying glass of problems deep down in humanity. This short is based on a true story, one of the millions of the silent.