Retraction

The initial idea for this film came from a certain type of male figure. Among men driven by desire and impure motives, some are shameless and manipulative, while others are weak, insecure, and hypocritical—constantly conflicted. From my own observation, the latter are afraid to admit their desires, subconsciously wrapping them in moral language. This contradiction, especially in their interactions with women, was something I wanted to expose directly, without moral judgment.Narratively, I wanted the audience to see the protagonist’s intent from the start, from an almost omniscient perspective. I designed two opening scenes to show the tension in his false, awkward advances: he appears utterly lacking in charm among the more seasoned men in a late-night bar, yet suddenly puts on the mask of an experienced “good guy” when facing a seemingly vulnerable girl.To heighten the contrast, I added a scene where he secretly pulls back his own foreskin. The closer he gets to her, the more he is trapped by the moral persona he has built, which blocks the expression of his real desire. This pushes him into a desperate, almost comically pathetic struggle. I want the audience to wonder: What is this man really doing? Does he even know what he’s doing?As for the title, In the end I chose the current title: a question about East Asian men’s self-recognition, a question that lingers and resurfaces at different moments of the film.