In this art film with documentary elements, the artist returns to his hometown in Kuandian county, on the Chinese-North Korean border. The film focuses on Chinese veterans of the Korean War and defectors fleeing from contemporary North Korea. In interviews and filmed scenes, Xiangyu He exposes the cruel geopolitical realities belied by the idyllic landscape, and explores the effects of utopian fantasies on individual destinies. What do the concepts of ‘border’ and ‘home’ mean to these people, and how did they affect their lives? Ultimately, these experiences spur the artist to perform his own transgressive border-crossing act.
《The Swim》為一齣含紀錄片成份的藝術電影，講述藝術家重返他位於中朝邊界的寬甸故鄉。故事聚焦於參加過朝鮮戰爭的中國退伍老兵，以及「脫北者」的生活。在採訪拍攝現場中，何翔宇展現了隱匿在秀麗風光之下的殘酷現實，與投射在個人身上的烏托邦幻想。「邊界」與「家」對於他們來說，代表甚麼？又如何影響他們的生活？最終，這些經歷促使藝術家親身體驗越境的滋味。
