Shu Qi Getty Shu Qi has spent her career embodying other people's stories - enigmatic drifters for Hou Hsiao-hsien, comic foils in international action franchises, or, more recently, the tragic heroine of Bi Gan's Cannes award winner Resurrection. With Girl, Taiwan's most acclaimed screen star, now 49, turns the camera on herself, mining her childhood in 1980s Taipei for a bracingly personal directorial debut. The result is not nostalgia but something darker: a stark coming-of-age tale about inherited sorrow, cycles of violence, and the fleeting possibility of friendship and escape. It is, as Shu says, "a story that opens up a conversation about the powerful impact of one's family of origin, for better or worse." Related Stories Movies From Shorts to Stardom: Busan's New Currents Turns 30 Movies Busan Film Fest Director Jung Hanseok Has a Plan -- And a Lot of Pressure Girl centers on taciturn teenager Li Hsiao-Lee (Bai Xiao-Ying), who cares for her younger sister (Lai Yu-Fei) while navigating a home dominated by poverty, alcoholism and violence. Her mother, played by Taiwanese singer 9m88, is mercurial and resentful, while her father, embodied by Roy Chiu, returns drunk each night - unpredictable, menacing, explosive. As THR's review observed, "The actress deserves credit for making something so bravely bleak." Girl can be unwieldy - "artfully made and grippingly acted" but sometimes seeming "a bit unedited," as THR's critic put it - but its power lies in its refusal to offer relief. Shu plunges us into the cramped apartment with long, static takes and subdued color palettes, creating an immersive portrait of pained adolescence in a family poisoned by generational trauma. At its darkest, the film depicts sexual assault and domestic brutality with an unflinching directness. Yet there are flickers of light, too: a tender friendship with a rebellious classmate (Audrey Lin) briefly offers Hsiao-Lee glimpses of freedom, cigarettes and stolen denim skirts standing in for the wider world waiting beyond her family's apartment door. Girl premiered in competition earlier this month at the Venice Film Festival, a coveted launchpad for a first-time filmmaker. Now the film returns home to Asia to compete at the Busan International Film Festival. In Korea, Shu's directorial debut will have to face off against her own formidable talents as an actress, with Bi's Resurrection also landing a spot in the festival's new competition section. The Hollywood Reporter connected with Shu ahead of her dual promotional appointments in Korea to discuss the deeply personal process of making Girl. Girl seems to be so deeply personal. Do you think you became a director so you could tell this particular story, or was directing itself something that you always wanted to do?I never would have thought about directing if not for Hou Hsiao-hsien's suggestion. About 12 years ago, while we were on set together, he suddenly asked me very seriously if I wanted to direct. I was so surprised that I didn't know what to say at first. Now, on the other side of that journey, I've discovered that being a director carries a lot of pressure. As an actress, it was already difficult enough to be fully immersed in one role. But as a director, you must constantly switch perspectives between characters while also coordinating with the gaffer, lighting, color - so many tasks to handle and study deeply. After the premiere in Venice, I felt relieved and not too worried about comments or critics, because I know I tried my best. I think this has been a good start for me. Even while re-watching the film at the premiere, I was already thinking about how to improve the next one. I believe I can go ahead - this is a new role for me. 'Girl' Mandarin Vision Did you ever consider putting yourself in Girl as an actress?Yes. When I started 10 years ago, I was ambitious - I wanted to write, direct and star in it. But it took me a decade to finish the screenplay, and I'm getting older. I can't play the young mother anymore, so I found 9m88 to take on that role. Looking back, I was naïve. Writing is already difficult, directing even more so, and if I had also acted, I don't think I could have remained objective about the other characters or the development of the story. Maybe someday - but not for my first film. The film contains many emotionally intense and challenging moments for your lead performers - especially Bai Xiao-Ying, who plays your young protagonist. How did your own experience in front of the camera shape the way you communicated and collaborated with your actors?I never played a role like this little girl, but I knew I didn't want a young actress to face explicit violence. Instead, I wanted to convey her deep sense of fear. With my sound designer, we created noises and ambient effects - the father, drunk, coming home on his motorcycle; parking; yelling at neighbors; the keys and keychain as he enters. Xiao Li hides in the wardrobe; we hear her breath, and the audi