Lu Liu

Lu Liu’s filmography? Yeah, it’s not your run-of-the-mill list. Kicking off with “Help Me” back in 2012, Lu Liu set the bar for raw, desperate storytelling. The film dives into the messiness of human connection—flawed people, messy choices, that sort of thing. No sugarcoating, just honest chaos. Then there’s “Lü de shui” from 2016, where things get even more interesting. This one’s drenched in atmosphere, following characters who seem to drift through their own lives, haunted by regrets and half-finished conversations. You can almost feel the humidity, the quiet tension in every scene, and Liu’s style just oozes out of every frame. Jump to “Ban ge xi ju” in 2019, and you’re not getting a typical comedy—more like a dark, slyly funny look at how people try (and fail) to put on a brave face when life’s falling apart. There’s a lot of subtlety here; the jokes sneak up on you, and the pain lingers. Across all these projects, Lu Liu’s signature is obvious: stories that don’t flinch, characters who feel like real people (messy, lovable, infuriating), and a willingness to sit with the awkwardness of life instead of tidying it up for the camera. If you’re tired of shiny, predictable movies, Liu’s work is a solid antidote.