SPENT BULLETS

Silicon Valley engineers WU Yi-hsiang and Hsiao-hua head for Las Vegas to mourn their genius classmate Jie-heng. On the highway, they must confront the intimacy, shame, and desire they shared.

Taiwanese engineers WU Yi-hsiang and Hsiao-hua drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to Las Vegas to mourn their late classmate Jie-heng and to settle his estate. Along the endless stretch of desert highway, they trade memories from college, like the time Jie-heng overslept a programming competition by three hours and still won first place, leaving the rest of them to feel like trash. A memory that once stung with humiliation has now softened into something they can laugh about. After all, they’ve both made their own fortunes in Silicon Valley. But beneath their banter lies a truth too difficult to face: Jie-heng ended his life alone in his mansion, suffocating himself using a cheap plastic bag. When they finally reach Jie-heng’s mansion, WU Yi-hsiang finds one final programming problem left behind just for him. Their car breaks down on the endless highway. Because of WU’s expired driver’s license and his accent, he gets into a fight with the police. WU reaches for his gun.