Beschreibung
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The Burden of Duty
Written by Maximilian Lim & Jan Liem | Directed, Shot & Edited by Vi-Dan Tran
What began as a simple acting showreel scene evolved into something far more personal — a story that feels like a fragment of a larger film. Maximilian and Jan wrote the original piece, and I reshaped it to explore deeper emotional ground: family honor, pride, and the quiet rebellion against tradition.
The story follows two brothers raised in a traditional Asian household — Tian (played by Jan Liem) and Hao-Jie (played by Maximilian Lim). Tian, the older, has always been the model son — disciplined, loyal, and obedient to their father, a stern businessman obsessed with legacy. Hao-Jie, the younger, was the family’s black sheep — restless, free-spirited, and unwilling to conform. He left home to pursue his dream of running his own martial arts school, rejecting the family’s rigid Wing Chun heritage to embrace the freedom of MMA.
Now their father lies on his deathbed. His final wish: for Tian to bring his younger brother home one last time. But pride and old wounds stand in the way. Tian is torn between duty and resentment — envious of the freedom Hao-Jie fought for, yet bound to fulfill the obligation he himself never escaped.
Shot in 2023 over the course of one and a half days, this project took time to release due to festival deadlines. It was filmed on a Blackmagic URSA Mini 4.6K G2 with DZOFilm Vespid lenses.
Though originally meant as an acting showreel, I love treating projects like this as my own kind of homework — created between my work on an Amazon Prime TV show and other productions. I always take time to shoot no-budget projects with friends, to keep my filmmaking craft alive and evolving.
Special thanks to everyone who helped and supported us on this small passion project — your time, energy, and belief made it possible.
Follow us here!
Maximilian Lim
https://www.instagram.com/maximilian.lim/
Jan Liem
https://www.instagram.com/jan_liem/
Kai Fung Rieck
https://www.instagram.com/kaifungrieck/
Khoa Huynh
https://www.instagram.com/koahuynh/
Kang Chen
https://www.instagram.com/chenkangfilms/
Bao GIa
https://www.instagram.com/gongbao/
Lukas Zschocke
https://www.instagram.com/lzschocke/
Darc Mavid
https://www.instagram.com/darcmavid/
Simon Kühn
https://www.instagram.com/live_audio_solutions/
Vincent Lee
https://www.instagram.com/vincentleemusic
https://www.youtube.com/user/vincentleemusic
Jana ERger
https://www.instagram.com/jana.erger.maskenzeit/
Kiko
https://www.instagram.com/jessabellekiko/
contacts:
Vi-Dan Tran
https://www.instagram.com/vi_dan/
https://www.facebook.com/vidan.tran/
Vi-Dan@t7-production.com
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4263148/