Night Peacock

(Le Paon de Nuit) (2016)

Director: Dai Sijie

Screenwriter: Dai Sijie

Starring: Liu Yifei / Liu Ye / Yu Shaoqun / Li Ming

Genre: Drama / Romance Production

Country/Region:Chinese mainland / France Language: Mandarin / French

Release Date: 2016-05-20 (Chinese mainland)

Runtime: 84 minutes

Also known as: Night Peacock If I Hadn't Met You / Night Peacock / Le Paon de Nuit

IMDb: tt4310356

Plot Summary: Elsa (Liu Yifei), a French student, falls in love with Ma Rong (Li Ming), a silk researcher and shakuhachi master, in Chengdu. Later, she develops an emotional connection with Jianmin (Liu Ye), Ma Rong's brother and a tattoo artist, in Paris. The former discovers a silkworm that aligns with her ideals—the night peacock, while the latter etches the transformed night peacock into Elsa's skin. In France, Elsa searches for her identity between Chinese and French cultures, drawn to the "night peacock," an insect symbolizing freedom and temptation. Using silk, perfume, and music as mediums, the film blends Eastern and French sensibilities to explore female identity, love, and the awakening of freedom.