Set in an idyllic fishing village in the Malaysian coast, The Second Life of a Thief chronicles a coastal village during three separate time periods that changes the lives of its inhabitants. The film first follows Uncle Lai, the village head, as he tries to solve a series of murders in the village before his retirement, while tending for her sick daughter. Uncle Lai himself has unresolved issues with his old friend and partner, Uncle Tan. Meanwhile, Su Ling, Uncle Lai’s daughter, runs the family’s ‘bird nest’ business. Su Ling starts a relationship with an immigrant worker, Sing, and soon becomes pregnant. At the same time, Keiko Fujita, a Japanese, comes to the village to investigate the death of her ex-husband, suspecting that he did not die naturally. But when Keiko is involved in an accident that results in the death of a young girl, she makes a decision that changes every single one of their lives forever.In a time of great hope and even greater uncertainty, all the inhabitants of this small village hope to attain the one thing that is missing in their lives: happiness.
CHF 50'000 for production fiction
in competition in Busan 2014
in competition in Rotterdam 2015
Mosquito Distribution
available for distribution at visions sud est