“Wuhan Driver” By Tiger Ji

A Chinese Uber driver in New York struggles to make ends meet as he picks up various passengers on a long and dreary night.

The short film IN MEDIAS RUSH is an experimental cinematic journey into the depths of a manic mind. A poetic retro-sci-fi narrative unfolded in a string of unsettling tableaus that encapsulates the male protagonist’s ambiguous feelings about his birthday. While balancing between realities in his silent struggle with severe mental illness, we plunge into the film at a neatly orchestrated birthday party. The protagonist is accompanied by his girlfriend, and they are drinking cocoa on the couch in their mutual home. The setting breathes pure perfection, but through the voice over we sense that another reality is soon to be revealed. With one foot on the accelerator, he is heading towards the edge. The thematic focal point of IN MEDIAS RUSH is mental health problems among young adults, and the social/personal consequences related to the existing taboo on the subject. The film wishes to formulate an honest cinematic space in which words, sound, and image artistically interprets and articulates some of the perspectives related to especially bipolar, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. IN MEDIAS RUSH was nominated in the category 'Best Danish Short Film' at Copenhagen Short Film Festival in 2020. Original title: IN MEDIAS RÆS Directed by: Esben Persson -------------------- DK: IN MEDIAS RÆS IN MEDIAS RÆS er en filmisk rejse ind i dybderne af et manisk sind. En ung mand fejrer sin fødselsdag, mens hans tanker tordner afsted. Med en uvillig fod på speederen har han kurs mod kanten. FR: IN MEDIA RES IN MEDIA RES est un voyage dans les profondeurs d’un esprit maniaque. Un jeune homme fête son anniversaire tandis que ses pensées se multiplient. Malgré lui, il se dirige vers un point de non-retour. -------------------- Cast: Peter Alexander Bach & Amanda Overby Drew Director // Script writer // Set designer // Costume designer // Editor // Speaker: Esben Persson Photographer // Editor: Lasse Mølsted Producer: Latifa Lykke Ben Mabrouk Assistant producer: Cecilie Creutsberg Music composer: Martin Bejder Sound designer: Mads Hye Chief Lighting Technician: Rasmus Bruun Liboriussen VFX: Jonas Fonnesbæk Lodahl Colorist: Kristopher Paterson Graphic designer: Jakob Toft Kristensen -------------------- Shot on RED Monstro 8K with Lomo Squarefront Anamorphics.

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“Wuhan Driver” is partially based on a real-life encounter in early March 2020. I remember getting picked up by a grey Toyota Camry. Sitting behind the wheel was an anxious, overworked Chinese man — he looked like he hadn't slept in days. Ironically from the city of Wuhan, he confided in me his struggles as an Uber driver. Life for him was about survival. Striving to make ends meet, he faced prejudice night after night.

I understand his loneliness — and I wanted to make something that unflinchingly questions our capacities for kindness during turbulence."

Tiger Ji - Writer, Director

Credits

Writer / Director: Tiger Ji
Producer: Alena Svyatova
Executive Producer: Jonathan Sanger
Director of Photography: Stefan Nachmann

Starring:
Wayne Chang – Zhang
Michael Kishon – Young Man
Laura Lee Anderson – The Blonde
Ariel Ash – The Brunette
Maria Peyramaure – The Mother
Mark Quiles – The Priest
Jeffrey Grover – The Businessman
Lee Baptiste – SUV Driver