Past, present and future flow together like a river in My Father’s Son, the latest film from Suburban Birds director Qiu Sheng. To say that 18-year-old Qiao (Sun Ning) has a complicated relationship with his father would be an understatement: at his father’s funeral, Qiao becomes so overwhelmed that he flees the temple, leaving his family — and his father’s ashes — behind. As Qiao wanders the streets of the city, he begins to remember his father Jiantang (Song Yang), an alcoholic and an amateur boxer who raised Qiao alone for much of his childhood.

From there, My Father’s Son begins to go in elegant and surprising directions. Combining artistic VFX and immersive camerawork, Qiu takes the audience to the boxing gym where Jiantang taught his son to fight, to a cosplay bar where costumed performers spar for patrons and to the futuristic lab where Qiao will someday combine his passions by creating an AI boxing model with his father’s face. As a sports movie, it’s exciting. As sci-fi, it’s intriguing. And as a family drama, it’s deeply moving, keeping the audience engrossed in Qiao’s emotional journey.—Frédéric Boyer