EXCLUSIVE: First Trailer for China Sea Drops Ahead of Tallinn Black Nights World Premiere

Marius Repšys descends into obsession and violence in the first trailer for China Sea.

The first trailer for China Sea has arrived, and it immediately establishes itself as one of the most unsettling, emotionally tangled character studies of the year. The film, directed by Jurgis Matulevičius and premiering November 18 at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, brings together an unprecedented collaboration between Lithuania and Taiwan, resulting in a textured, cross-cultural thriller brimming with tension and dread. The story follows Osvald, a former martial arts champion played with haunting restraint by Marius Repšys, who accidentally injures a young girl and is expelled from his federation. No longer able to travel for tournaments in Asia, where he once thrived, he becomes stranded in his bleak Eastern European hometown, carrying a guilt he cannot shake. His days drift by inside a dim Taiwanese-owned restaurant called “China Sea,” run by his only remaining friend Ju-Long, while court-ordered group therapy introduces him to a mysterious woman named Skaistė, played by Severija Janušaauskaitė. Their connection, unstable from the start, pulls Osvald further into himself until the need for redemption twists into something more feral and unhinged.

The trailer hints at a powder keg—images of fractured group sessions, street confrontations, whispered confessions, and sudden eruptions of violence. Nothing is spelled out, yet everything feels on the verge of collapse. The film leans heavily into suffocating atmosphere, rooting its dread in the unraveling mental state of a man who cannot outrun his past. One of the most striking artistic choices is the hybrid Mandarin–Lithuanian dialect spoken by the ensemble, reflecting the rare partnership between the two countries and deepening the sense that this story occupies a cultural space all its own. Producers have emphasized how meaningful this collaboration has been, especially in today’s political climate, with Taiwan’s involvement bringing an exceptional cast and unique sensibility to the film.

Written by Saulė Bliuvaitė, whose debut feature Toxic won top honors at Locarno, China Sea draws from real events to explore toxic masculinity and emotional decay with unflinching clarity. But watching the trailer, it becomes clear this is not just another redemption drama. Matulevičius shapes it into something raw and volatile—a descent shaped as much by obsession as by guilt, where love curdles into possession and the need to feel whole again pushes Osvald back toward violence he believed he had left behind. The result looks like a collision between desperation, longing, and brutal honesty.

Based on the early look alone, China Sea positions itself as one of the most fascinating premieres at Tallinn this year. The trailer shows just enough to draw you in without revealing anything crucial, while establishing a mood thick with tension and the promise of devastating consequences. For those of us who gravitate toward psychological breakdowns wrapped inside gritty emotional landscapes, this is absolutely one to watch. We’ll be covering the premiere closely—China Sea is clearly building toward a powerful eruption.

World Premiere: 18th November, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

Short Synopsis: A cancelled martial artist finds refuge in a Taiwanese family’s restaurant. Fists fly, cultures clash, and secrets burn.

Director: Jurgis Matulevičius

Delegate Producer: Ieva Cern

Producer: Stasys Baltakis

Co-producers: Amy Ma 馬君慈, Marta Gmosińska, Jakub Košťál, Mariusz Włodarski and Vratislav Šlajer

Cast: Marius Repšys, Severija Janušaauskaité, Jian Huang / ⿈健瑋, Vaidotas Martinaitis, Yi-ching Lu / 陸弈靜, Sonia Yuan / 袁⼦芸