Logline

Yuanfang, returning from Shanghai to the western small town, eventually resigned herself to fate and followed her father's arrangement from many years ago, becoming a nighttime highway toll collector. The remote toll booth appeared desolate and quiet on those silent nights. One day, a mysterious space return capsule appeared near the toll booth. This metallic sphere seemed to have descended from the heavens and was concealed among the wild grasses. It became a shelter for Yuanfang and her coworker, Dali, where they passed their evenings and secretly plotted their escape from the small town.

In the even more desolate western wilderness,Yuanfang's father, Old Han, was assigned the role of a guide, accompanying a naive Russian youth who claimed to be a scientist named Andreyev in the search for the lost return capsule. The two men, one old and one young, wandered in the realm of empty hope.

从上海回到西部小镇的远芳，最终还是认命，遵照父亲多年前的安排成为一名夜间的高速路收费员。偏远的收费站，在寂静的夜晚显得孤独而冷清。一天，一座太空返回舱神秘地出现在收费站附近，这个从天而降的金属球体隐蔽在荒草中，成为远芳和女同事大梨打发夜晚时光的避风港，同时她们开始密谋离开这座小镇的计划。

在更为荒凉的西部旷野，远芳的父亲老寒被委派充当向导的角色，正陪伴着一位天真的自称科学家的俄罗斯青年安德烈耶夫寻找着那座失落的返回舱。一老一少两个男人在虚无的希望中徘徊。

编剧/导演：时晓凡
出品人：
张杰 陈雷 吕游 王立学 时晓凡
制片人：章杰 甄妮 王立学
艺术指导：翁子光
监制：黄璐
领衔主演：刘雅瑟 王一钧
主演：
孙小雪 蒋中炜 姜永波
STEPAN CHERNETSKIY

摄影指导：周文操
灯光：许波
美术指导：李亚丁
造型指导：刘乙沐
作曲：张岭
剪辑：张钊
执行制片人：吕玉安
联合编剧：董清雪
联合制片人：张豪
第一副导演：冯梦

出品公司：
魔菩威（苏州）影视文化传播有限公司
上海鹊跃映画文化传播有限公司
重庆画语影视文化有限公司
黑猫互娱（天津）文化传播有限公司
北京惊鸟回声影视传播有限公司

Director's Statement

"I guess that what's not visible in a movie might be more intriguing than the visible story."

When I drove through the desolate western regions of China in the harsh winter on several occasions, every time night fell and I passed by the highway toll booths, the lonely waiting toll booth operators always caught my attention. They would scrutinize me, a stranger passing by, sneak a listen to the music in my car, and then bid farewell, almost as if it could be a forever farewell. They were among the loneliest people I had ever seen, as if abandoned by the world. I guessed that in the cover of night, some of them harbored dreams of embarking on a journey with a stranger driver, escaping together.

As I continued on the pitch-black roads, I imagined that high above in the vast expanse of space, a former Soviet cosmonaut was finishing his last sip of strong liquor and preparing to take action. He had been forgotten in the frigid space station for a full thirty years. I envisioned his longing for a heroic return, although the homeland he once cherished no longer existed.

The inspiration for this film comes from these scenes and imaginations. It focuses on people trapped in the corners, forgotten by the new era, and those who yearn to return or escape, longing for their souls to witness miracles as promised before daybreak.

““我猜测电影中看不见的东西比起看得见的故事来说，可能会更有趣。””

我数次驾车在寒冬穿越荒凉西部进行旅行时，每当夜幕降临，我经过高速公路收费站的时候，那些寂寞等待的收费员总是引起了我的注意。他们会仔细打量着我这位陌生的过客，偷偷聆听我车内的音乐，然后告别，几乎会是永远的告别。他们几乎是我所见过最孤独的人，仿佛被世界遗弃，我猜测趁着夜色一些人正怀揣着某种与陌生司机结伴逃离一起远行的梦想。

当我继续在漆黑的公路上行进时，我想象在头顶茫茫浩瀚的太空中，一位前苏联宇航员正喝光最后一口烈酒然后开始行动，他在冰冷的太空站被遗忘了整整三十年，我想他渴望英雄般的回归，然而他曾热爱的祖国已经不复存在。

这个电影的灵感源于这些场景和想象，它关注于禁锢在角落被新时代遗忘的人们，以及渴望着回归或者逃离，渴望奇迹在破晓前如期降临的每个灵魂。

Behind The Scenes/幕后制作