Is politeness a virtue or a flaw? Is it enough to lead a shadowless life? Zhang Lu has returned with the story of a father and son, who have each come to lead a solitary life due to their different yet similar “excessive politeness.” Gu, a former poet turned restaurant critic who has been divorced for two years, visits his estranged father in Beidahe for the first time in decades. Wenhui, a young photographer who works with Gu, and Gu’s older sister, also named Wenhui, both seem unreserved, but they also have shadows they wish to erase. Through this film, which competed at the 2023 Berlin Film Festival, Zhang Lu seems to be implying that one can erase his own shadow not only by staying immediately beneath the sun but also by overlapping it with another’s shadow. Thus, the characters keep on asking, “Can I give you a hug?” (CHOI Eun)