Q&A with Huang Huang

In the late ’90s, wet-behind-the-ears Lu Youhong takes a job teaching Chinese at a remote martial-arts academy. Of his many students, only one cares about academics: Zhang Cuishan, who excels at schoolwork but hates martial arts. As Lu tries to form a protective bond with the bullied Zhang, he also develops a crush on the school’s pretty young doctor, while learning inadvertent life lessons from the principal’s quirky son. Huang Huang’s evocative feature debut is a beautifully poetic paean to the bittersweet pangs of growing up at any age.