Thirteen-year-old Guo, who lives with a selfish cousin, an always-tired aunt and her family, wants to live with her newly remarried mom in Shanghai. When a friend drowns while playing with Guo by the riverside, Guo flees the scene in shock. Yu, who likes Guo, knows that she was there on that day, but Yu's infatuation only makes Guo uncomfortable. Summer Blur is a coming-of-age story about a girl on the threshold of puberty. Neglected by an irresponsible mother and living with an unwelcoming aunt, Guo enters the world of adults through a series of events that a thirteen-year-old cannot possibly handle. Director Han Shuai's directing captures the strongminded Guo who defies age, class, and gender discrimination in a calm and restrained manner.—PARK Sun Young, BIFF

Guo's (Huang Tian) face is veiled in a delicate layer of wistfulness. She has to spend the summer alone in Wuhan with her aunt (Gong Beibi), who lives in poor conditions, while her mother (also played by Gong Beibi) leads a dazzling life in Shanghai. Being on the cusp of becoming a teenager, a terrible secret, the longing for love and safety and the fear of being abandoned are Guo's constant companions.