Overview

• The film dramatizes Zhao’s prison experience after killing her husband, a case she has described as self-defense.
• Her son and her late husband’s mother appear as themselves as the story follows a difficult attempt at reconciliation.
• Director Qin Xiaoyu said production revealed family tensions that later eased, expressing hope the film prompts reflection on abuse.
• Zhao said psychological therapy supported her rehabilitation, while her son, now 18, spent a decade in his grandmother’s care.
• Qin met Zhao near the end of her sentence during interviews with incarcerated women, and festival reports did not detail the killing or legal specifics.