Liu Jiayin, who made her mark in modern Chinese cinema nearly two decades ago with the experimental Oxhide, returns with the most high-profile work of her career. All Ears boasts big stars, but like the writer-director’s early indie films, it tells small stories of ordinary people and ordinary lives in a precise cinematic language. Hu Ge disappears into the role of an introspective screenwriter-turned-eulogy-writer who goes the extra mile to listen, understand and pen a final farewell that is true to the deceased. Encounters with various people carrying different memories and regrets form a journey of soul-searching and healing for the bereaved and for the lost writer seeking direction in life.