The Same

Don, in the throes of adolescence, struggles with a deep sense of insecurity over his awkward gait — and finds it even harder to accept the return of his father, a man soaked in the scent of fish after years spent on distant seas. Caught between them, the mother tries in vain to ease the tension. Separated by time and distance, father and son fumble through strained conversations, their silences and the pervasive smell forming an invisible wall between them. Adapted from the director’s own family story, The Same offers a delicate yet profound portrayal of emotional distance within a family. Set against the backdrop of Kaohsiung’s fishing ports, the film weaves together elements of Taiwanese dialect, seafood cuisine, and the rugged charm of a harbor city to tell the story of a teenage boy’s silent estrangement from his seafaring father — a quiet, aching struggle for connection and identity across generations.