The Wrench

The film is based on a true serial murder case. It details the story of an ordinary citizen who used violence against the vast corruption and injustice of the Chinese education system. At the same time, the film also faithfully reflects the collective subconscious of China's totalitarian society - power has everything, power dominates everything, and power is everything. Hua Xia, a graduate candidate from rural China, had his postgraduate qualifications transferred by the university president to his son. After a series of inhuman humiliations and conflicts, Hua Xia killed the president and his son with a wrench. To restore their last human rights and dignity. Still, his way of rebelling tells us how irredeemable individual souls can be in a country without faith.

  • Songhuan Li
    Director
  • Yifan Chen
    Director
  • Songhuan Li
    Writer
  • Yifan Chen
    Writer
  • Songhuan Li
    Producer
  • Yifan Chen
    Producer
  • Xiaoguo Sun
    Key Cast
    "SU"
  • Jinliang Xu
    Key Cast
    "HUA"
  • Zhongchu Wang
    Key Cast
    "CHEN"
  • Siyu Zhu
    Director Of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Society
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 6, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    China
  • Language:
    Chinese
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa Mini LF
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Songhuan Li, Yifan Chen

Songhuan Li is a contemporary artist, film director and film producer，based in Los Angeles, Hollywood. Songhuan Li is committed to implementing his understanding of the essence of the human spirit in his films, film theory studies and installation art: The Essence of moving image must be related to the deepest emotion, thought, desire and the soul of humanity, Which should let the audience to achieves a complete self-awareness in the present.
In the process of implementing this concept, Songhuan Li created 18 Films, the major projects are: The Trilogy of Samsara (The Conversion, Liberty, I), The Trilogy of Life and Death (The Splendid Aria, Last Dance, The Death of An Artist), The Trilogy of Dream and Poem (Dakini, Karma, Monkey and Jasmine)
So far, Songhuan Li has received more than 90 awards and selections from many
international film festivals, Include
Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, Cannes International Film Festival, Sydney International Film Festival, French Independent Film Festival, Rome International Movie Awards, Milan Gold Awards, Paris Shorts Film Awards, New York Independent Cinema Awards, Chinese American Film Festival, etc.

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Director Statement

The film is based on a true serial murder case. It details the story of an ordinary citizen who used violence against the vast corruption and injustice of the Chinese education system. At the same time, the film also faithfully reflects the collective subconscious of China's totalitarian society - power has everything, power dominates everything, and power is everything. Hua Xia, a graduate candidate from rural China, had his postgraduate qualifications transferred by the university president to his son. After a series of inhuman humiliations and conflicts, Hua Xia killed the president and his son with a wrench. To restore their last human rights and dignity. Still, his way of rebelling tells us how irredeemable individual souls can be in a country without faith.