A Chinese–Hungarian drama infused with mystical and fantasy elements is set to arrive in Hungarian cinemas on 21 May under the title Not Me, marking the feature film debut of Chinese-born writer–director–producer Zhang Ge.
The independent production explores the internal tensions of a Chinese family living in Budapest, while also offering a rare look into the everyday life of Hungary’s little-known Chinese community.
At the centre of the story are two siblings: a gifted 23-year-old female pianist and her younger, hedonistic brother. Following a fatal accident and a supernatural twist, the brother’s soul becomes trapped inside his sister’s body, leading to an intense psychological struggle for control.
Speaking after a press screening of the film, Zhang Ge reflected on questions of identity that also shape the movie’s themes. ‘In Hungary, I call myself Chinese, while in China, I call myself Hungarian,’ the director said. Asked whether the ‘two souls in one body’ concept emerged from his own dual identity, he replied that duality exists in everyone: the tension between ‘getting lost in idleness or making something of oneself’. ‘At a certain age, one must decide what one wants,’ he added.
Zhang Ge also revealed that the film which most influenced and inspired him to pursue filmmaking was Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 classic A Clockwork Orange. Originally trained as a photographer, he currently works in Shanghai directing commercials.
‘Zhang Ge personally built the set over a period of six months’
The screenplay was co-written with Miklós Magai, with whom Zhang Ge is already developing another Chinese–Hungarian production to be filmed in Budapest. During the discussion following the screening, their creative partnership was described metaphorically: Zhang Ge represented ‘the sky’, while Magai represented ‘the earth’, grounding the film’s abundant ideas and energies into a more coherent genre framework.
The two lead actors, Cui Sissy and Li Chade, both amateur performers, underwent a year-long rehearsal process before filming began. They said their real-life personalities are the opposite of their characters, forcing them to learn entirely different behavioural patterns during preparation—one becoming more introverted, the other more extroverted.
The film’s production process was also unusually hands-on. Zhang Ge personally built the set over a period of six months.
Producer Kati Csényi, who previously collaborated with the director on the award-winning 2021 short film Mei’s Illusion, said Not Me was completed independently without state funding. The film was shot over 33 days with a crew of 45 people.
Csényi added that one of the project’s most compelling aspects was its exploration of the approximately 20,000-strong Chinese–Hungarian subculture in Hungary, a community that remains largely absent from public discourse and Hungarian cinema.
The film also stars Benjamin Fuchs and Csaba Polgár. Its director of photography is Csaba Bántó, with cinematography by András Táborosi, editing by Szabolcs Kővári, music by Márk Bartha, and production design by Janka Szécsényi.
Related articles: