A scene from 'The Sun Rises on Us All'

The Sun Rises on Us All review: TIFF 2025

‘The Sun Rises on Us All’ is the intense confrontation of resentment and forgiveness when a former couple is suddenly reunited.

Meiyun (Xin Zhilei) owns a clothing store, has a boyfriend and may be pregnant with her first child. On paper, everything appears to be going her way. But it’s not all as perfect as it seems. To make things more complicated, she sees her ex, Baoshu (Zhang Songwen), at the hospital. He’s also having a tough time, undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis. But the last time they saw each other, Baoshu was serving a prison sentence after taking responsibility for Maiyun’s crime. The years have boiled their former love into resentment so toxic, forgiveness may be impossible.

Co-writer and director Shangjun captures the naked viewpoints of this former couple as they unpack their emotional baggage for the first time in seven years. They’re struggling to cope with the mess they shoved into a dark corner of their minds. Now, face to face, it’s impossible to ignore all the destructive feelings they’ve kept bottled up. Baoshu is understandably resentful, spending years in jail for a woman that abandoned him before he got out. That is time Meiyun cannot give back to him, no matter how hard she tries.

Read the full review of The Sun Rises on Us All at thatshelf.com

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