Holding Breath

即将十六岁的高二女生文心习惯做着身边大多数人都在做的事，比如好好学习，不顶撞家长和老师。但文心并不知道自己为什么要这样做，其实她心里藏着许多疑问。陈栩是一名从外省新调过来的英语老师，她在课上给同学讲述自己的海外留学经历，受到同学们的欢迎。文心像往常一样静静地等待生日的到来，可就在生日来临之际，正在学习但还没学会游泳的她突然不再被允许进入学校泳池；一天放学回家后，她目睹爸爸搬走了妈妈服装店的库存；某日下午，她发现了陈老师的另一面。这些外部信息一点一点地渗进文心的内心，搅动着她的心绪，她好像做不到再忽视那些疑问。文心决定去寻找一个答案，她不要静静地等待，她要变得更加勇敢，至少从过一个特别的十六岁生日开始。

Xin, a high school sophomore about to turn 16, is used to doing what everyone around her does—studying hard, never talking back to her parents or teachers. But she doesn’t know why she do these things. Deep inside, she harbors many unanswered doubts. Chen Xu, a newly transferred English teacher from another province, shares her overseas study experiences in class, winning the students’ admiration. As usual Xin quietly awaits her birthday. Yet just as the day approaches, she is suddenly no longer allowed into the school pool. One day after school, she witnesses her father moving out the inventory from her mother’s clothing store. Then, one afternoon, she discovers another side of Teacher Chen. Xin can no longer ignore the questions. She resolves to seek answers. She refuses to just sit and wait. She will become braver—starting with celebrating a special sixteenth birthday. 

导演：叶嘉曦
编剧：叶嘉曦
主演：唐冰心、许逗逗
制片人：叶嘉曦
摄影：张致豪
类型：剧情短片
时长：15分钟
完成时间：2025年
对白语言：汉语普通话、粤语
地区：中国

Director: Jiaxi Ye
Screenwriter: Jiaxi Ye
Cast: Bingxin Tang, Doudou Xu
Producer: Jiaxi Ye
Cinematographer: Zhihao Zhang
Genre: Narrative Short Film
Length: 15 min
Year: 2025
Dialogue: Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese
Region: China

叶嘉曦，女，23岁，广东人。从电视新闻专业毕业后，她更想通过电影表达身边的环境。她目前是加州艺术学院的导演系研究生。

Jiaxi was born in 2002 and raised in Guangdong, China. After earning a bachelor’s degree in television journalism, she turned to filmmaking to express her observations of the world around her. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Film Directing at the California Institute of the Arts. 

疫情中的大学生活给我和身边的朋友带来了许多失望和迷茫。在这样的生活中，我遇到了两位有自己的原则和追求的老师，我在她们的身上感受到了很多爱，我迫不及待地捉住这些爱。大学毕业前夕，我回想过往的学习生活，发现自己很幸运地在每个阶段都遇到了带给我很大启发的女老师，她们在迷雾中给我点燃了一盏盏小灯。于是我创作了《吸气，呼气》，想讲述一个女学生和她的女老师的故事，关于女学生如何凭借小灯散发的微光支撑自己继续往前走。

My university life during the pandemic brought much disappointment and confusion to me and my friends. Amidst this, I met two female teachers who held on to their principles and pursuits. I felt immense love radiating from them, and I eagerly embraced every ounce of it. As graduation approached, I reflected on my years as a student and realized how lucky I was to have encountered inspiring female teachers at every stage. They lit small lights for me—and for all of us—in the fog. This led me to create “Holding Breath”, a story about a female student and her female teacher—about how the student keeps walking forward with the glimmer of the light from the teacher.