The hotel room as a place where everyone is a stranger. A place that is yours for just a moment. A temporarily intimate space entered by a maid in order to clean it while, if possible, not leaving a trace of her visit. Each episode of Stranger is set in such a place, and each is captured in one long take. Weaving together a series of episodic stories – some humorous and absurd, some poignant and mysterious – that all unfold within a seemingly confined space, Stranger explores the idea of home while being away from it, and sheds light on the distinctive yet universal experiences of isolation and loneliness.

Stranger

Hong Kong as seen through a cab window. Inhabitants discuss their lives, problems and dreams as they are driven to their destination through the chaotic streets of Hong Kong.

Where Are You Going

A blissful night is unexpectedly interrupted by a sound from downstairs. Different reactions are triggered as well as the relentless indifference.

Down There

Like many, throughout 2020 Chinese-born, US-based filmmaker Zhengfan Yang (Where Are You Going, IFFR 2016) looked closer at his immediate surroundings. From his apartment complex in Chicago, the filmmaker records ostensibly quotidian scenes: people walking, window cleaners, street sweepers; life viewed from inside a bubble.