Opening up conversation on fear, survival, and transformation for her role in Peter Chan’s crime drama She’s Got No Name, Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi leads a visual meditation exploring the rise of tension for the short film Undercurrent. Directed by Yue Li, the evocative mood film draws inspiration from crime, suspense, and cinematic language, as Zhang descends into another realm upon answering a mysterious telephone call.

Since her international breakthrough in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and collaborations with Wong kar-wei for 2046 and The Grandmaster, amongst others, Zhang Ziyi has garnered widespread acclaim for shaping female cinematic icons, performing as nuanced characters that capture the complexity of human nature.

In Undercurrent, we see her enter a space marked by hesitation, entrapment, and a return to clarity, as fear and awakening move in quiet, emotional undercurrents. Cloaked by shadow, the room around her evolves into increasingly surreal imagery, taking Zhang on a journey into an strange alternate reality, where the coursing tension that accompanies the call manifests through visual metaphor.