SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! Director Xinhao “Violet” Lu’s short film After That follows Xinhao (Jim Lau), an elderly man who returns after 25 years to a place he once left behind during wartime. He lies in a field of grass, simply present, then wanders through a silent future city, revisiting the river that was once dry but now runs with water and the park that looks exactly as he remembers it—only empty.
As his walk continues, Xinhao memorializes what’s left of his life through the familiar landmarks and the memories attached to them, delivering a solitary soliloquy on what was and what remains.
Jim Lau stars as Xinhao in Xinhao “Violet” Lu’s short film After That (2026).
“He lies in a field of grass, simply present, then wanders through a silent future city…”
Director Xinhao “Violet” Lu has said the spark for After That came from living with a constant sense of instability after Trump came to power, as the geopolitical climate felt increasingly unpredictable while he was studying and working abroad, leaving him worried that a Third World War could erupt and cut him off from the life he once knew. He describes dreaming that he “melted into” his bed and waking up in Los Angeles rather than in his hometown.
Lu offers a very personal take on Xinhao’s life. The short is shot on Super 8, giving it the look of a “private film diary” from the future. It creates an eerie feeling as we follow our lone protagonist through an empty city. Xinhao’s words feel prophetic. In the end, Lu sets the perfect tone of a not-so-distant dystopian future and a very haunting ending.
After That screened at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…the perfect tone of a not-so-distant dystopian future and a very haunting ending."
