PIERCING WATER

Orchid Island is a solitary volcanic island in the West Philippine Sea, anchored in the relentless Kuroshio Current. Vongnyan, a 20-year-old Yami youth, has recently returned home after traumatic military service marked by bullying and a comrade’s suicide. By day, he works at a construction site; by night, he wanders the jagged coastline, breathing and sweating to quiet his unrest. His 17-year-old brother Bo moves freely through the sea, carefree by contrast. As their mother prays to repay the debt that brought Vongnyan home, Piercing Water observes two brothers suspended between trauma, myth, and an uncertain future, searching for peace and rest.