Céline Roustan
As a talented short-distance runner struggles with the fact that his body is failing him, he quickly has to come to terms with the possibility that his best days might already be behind him. In I Have No Legs, and I Must Run, writer/director Yue Li crafts a gripping psychological thriller that captures an intersection of universal themes with a remarkable attention to detail, making the film both utterly compelling and emotionally relatable.
Upon first glance, the film’s narrative might appear conventional, dare I say pedestrian for those that judge books by their cover. And while the starting point of the film is indeed an athlete who might have reached his limits, these facts are not what the short is centered around. At the core of the story is an identity crisis and the director brings the emotional journey of the protagonist to the screen, offering us front row seats to that emotional roller coaster. As the narrative evolves, it becomes much more than just a story of an athlete and their performance. The competition element is, of course, always present, but the film is also a reflection on growing older, coming to terms with that fact and accepting failure as well.
Apart from the main actors in the film, the cast was made up of “amateurs from a Sanda Team” who were acting for the “first time . . . in their life”
Li immerses us in the protagonist’s inner turmoil through the short’s striking cinematography and its beautiful, yet unsettling score. Highlighting the importance of the score when we discussed his production, the writer/director shared with us that “the inspiration for the original music had been explored by us in the script”, before principal photography. The images have a strong visual flair, but the carefully constructed frames and camera movements also echo what the protagonist is focusing on and how he perceives his surroundings. This gives the film its psychological thriller tone, which Li expertly plays with to make his film all the more compelling.
When we asked Li what prompted the screenplay, he confessed that he was “walking towards the age crisis of 30 (years old) when I wrote this story, and I shot the film with the aim of presenting the common feelings experienced by myself and men of the same age.” Society has built this fake milestone around turning 30, and it is a universal feeling that around this age is when a lot of us start feeling “old”. In I Have No Legs, and I Must Run, this anxiety relating to aging is manifested through both the protagonist’s performances – indicating that his body is not what it used to be after years of intense training – and the introduction of a younger athlete – who has youth and energy one his side. The inclusion of this youthful competitor helps viewers understand the potential that the protagonist no longer has and the crisis this provokes in him.
The film’s athletic protagonist has to reflect on the possibility that his running days might be coming an end
His anxiety also stems from a deeper inner conflict, as he begins to understand that the commitment and sacrifices he has made to reach that one goal, might now be unattainable. This feeling of failure, to reach his dream, brings us back to his identity crisis, as he is faced with the difficult question of: If he is not a runner, then who is he? Which leads the film to its conclusion, as we witness him making a decision about who he is going to be. It’s not the happy ending you might have hoped for, but it is reality.
Ahead of its online premiere, which we’re excited to host, I Have No Legs, and I Must Run made its way around the festival circuit where it earned two notable distinctions: the Best Short Film Award at the 2022 BFI London Film Festival, and a Special Mention at the 2023 Palm Springs ShortFest.