Director: Sa Xiang

Synopsis

The Taste is a drama micro-short about smart technology and family feeling. Set in 2042, it tells the story of Xie Yong, who has an android, "Sun Yuanyuan," custom-made to be exactly like his late mother, to ease the unbearable life his father Xie Gang has led since her death. Sun Yuanyuan not only looks like the late mother but can also accurately reproduce her daily habits and voice. Xie Yong and his sister Xie Lan hope this technology will let their father, who has dementia, feel the warmth of home again. But at the first family dinner, the corn, yam and pork rib soup that the android Sun Yuanyuan carefully prepares does not quite recreate their mother's taste, and their father Xie Gang breaks down in tears. Although he can no longer remember many things, he has a deep memory of the taste of his wife's cooking. The film shows that although technology can imitate outward forms, it can hardly replace the deep bond of emotion and memory. Through this warm and slightly sad story, it explores the boundary between technological progress and human emotion, and the irreplaceable bond between family members in the face of loss and memory.