In a dismal small industrial town in winter, bored teenagers and disillusioned adults rage at each other and the emptiness of life in frost-bitten northern China. In the midst of absurd exchanges, heartaches run alongside with criticism of school education and the aftermath of national communism.

You haven’t seen deadpan until you’ve seen the work of Chinese filmmaker Li Hongqi, whose singular comic vision practically redefines the notion of that word. With bizarre, non-sequitur dialogue, Winter Vacation pushes the envelope of off-the-wall humour.