Half a poem

Court métrage · animation · China

Ziqian, a Chinese-Korean student living in South Korea, faces a poetry assignment in her Chinese class. Because Mother's Day is coming, her teacher, Miss Wen, promises a red flower sticker for each good poem submitted, and ten stickers can exchange a gift for their mothers. Ziqian and her friend Manman are eager to get gifts, but Ziqian struggles with the task, unsure of what poetry truly is. Desperate for inspiration, Ziqian stumbles upon her mother’s poetry collection and begins copying her mother’s poems to submit as her own. To her surprise, her work is praised, and she continues using her mother’s poems. However, an accident in the park leaves her notebook and her mother’s poetry book behind. Believing Miss Wen has discovered her secret, Ziqian confesses. In a heartfelt conversation, Miss Wen encourages Ziqian to write her own poems as a meaningful gift for her mom. Taking the advice to heart, Ziqian starts noticing the beauty in everyday life and crafts her own poems. On Mother’s Day, she presents a poem to her mom and invites her to the school poetry event. Her mom chooses an unfinished poem and explains that life is about experiencing and completing one’s own story. Through this journey, Ziqian discovers that poetry exists everywhere—in the lives of busy homemakers, elderly restaurant workers, store clerks, and students. Despite their daily struggles, they find authenticity in poetry, brightening the gray urban world like colorful graffiti.