A groom loses his bride to a crying mermaid—then discovers humans are the real monsters.
On Chen Ah Shui's wedding night, his bride was kidnapped by a jiaoren, the merpeople from Chinese mythology who produce pearls from tears. He promises the village chief to capture one alive. He sets sail to a small island in the South China Sea and finds out the true reason for the jiaoren's violence toward humans.
Practical Effects
Jiaoren costume design blends coral textures with genuine unease.
Cinematography
South China Sea fog work that makes 78 minutes feel like a fever dream.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jiaoren originate from 4th-century Chinese texts; their tears-as-pearls motif has historically symbolized exploited female labor. The film weaponizes this against male protagonists.
Bruce Leung Siu-Lung's casting as Lao Yan Qiang nods to his 1970s Shaw Brothers monster-film career—he's essentially playing his own legacy watching another generation repeat his sins.
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