The exclusive trailer for Aroma, the upcoming feature from filmmaker Xue Ma, offers a mysterious glimpse into a world where scent, memory, fantasy and forbidden desire become deeply intertwined. Set against an unsettling dreamlike atmosphere, the film follows a woman whose unusual sense of smell leads her towards a stranger trapped in a coma. As their worlds begin to overlap, the boundaries between reality and imagination become increasingly difficult to distinguish.
Starring Jiali Zhao and Weihao Xu, Aroma is Ma's third feature film following White River and Sonata of Wave. The Chinese-language drama thriller is scheduled to have its world premiere in the Rebels With a Cause Competition at the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival on November 16, 2026.
Aroma Trailer Introduces a Mysterious Connection Between Yang and Fang
The trailer introduces Yang, played by Jiali Zhao, whose life is shaped by a rare sensory condition that makes most smells unbearable. She can tolerate only a limited number of scents, particularly lemon and disinfectant. However, an unfamiliar aroma eventually leads her to Fang, portrayed by Weihao Xu, a stranger lying in a coma.
Although Fang's body remains motionless, his mind appears to inhabit a strange world where childhood memories, fantasy and desire collide. His sister, who once supported the family by working as a masseuse, also appears in this dreamlike space as a woman dressed in red.
As Yang becomes connected to Fang through the mysterious scent, the film begins exploring the relationship between the conscious and subconscious mind. The trailer offers glimpses of unsettling imagery and intimate moments, suggesting that the connection between the two characters may be more complicated than it initially appears.
Xue Ma Uses Smell to Explore Loneliness and Hidden Emotions
For writer-director Xue Ma, smell becomes an important cinematic device through which the film explores emotions that characters struggle to express. The filmmaker approaches cinema as a sensory experience, using visuals, sound, smell and touch to connect audiences with the inner lives of the characters.
Ma also wants to move beyond the expectations often placed on filmmakers from Asian cultural backgrounds. Through Aroma, she aims to create a cinematic world that allows her to experiment freely with storytelling and emotional expression.
Loneliness and the desire for intimacy form the emotional foundation of the film. The director believes these feelings are universal, regardless of language or cultural background. She also explores how people often conceal their genuine emotions behind social masks, making it difficult for others to understand what they truly need.
The story's themes also reflect the uncertainty and emotional isolation experienced by many people in the post-pandemic world. Through Yang and Fang, Ma examines how individuals can lose their sense of identity while longing for meaningful human connection.
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Aroma Blurs the Boundaries Between Dreams and Reality
One of the film's most intriguing elements is its treatment of dreams and reality as interconnected experiences. Rather than presenting dreams as something entirely separate from real life, Ma considers them a way of revealing emotions and desires that people may otherwise keep hidden.
Fang's coma creates an opportunity for the narrative to move between his imagined world and the reality surrounding him. Meanwhile, Yang's unusual sensory experience gradually makes her own understanding of the world less certain.
The filmmaker describes the cinematic experience as a puzzle that encourages viewers to question what they see and how they interpret the characters' actions. This approach gives Aroma the atmosphere of a dark contemporary fairy tale, combining psychological mystery with surreal imagery and intimate storytelling.
Jiali Zhao and Weihao Xu Lead Aroma's Cast
Jiali Zhao and Weihao Xu headline the film as Yang and Fang, respectively. Ze Ying and Lu Huang also feature in the cast, contributing to the story's interconnected emotional world. Ma serves as the film's writer, director and producer, with Moonhwan Bang and Junqi Li also credited as producers. Ash Chen handles cinematography, while Maxime Pozzi-Garcia and Fre X. Sun are associated with the editing.
Aroma, also known by its local title Hõng, is an 80-minute Chinese-language production involving companies from South Korea, the United States and France. Its world premiere will take place at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where it will compete in the Rebels With a Cause section. The festival's selection highlights the film's unconventional approach to storytelling, particularly its exploration of isolation, desire, surrealism and the human subconscious.
Final Take
Aroma promises an unusual cinematic experience that brings together sensory storytelling, psychological mystery and forbidden desire. With Xue Ma exploring the connection between smell, memory and hidden emotions, the film uses its mysterious premise to examine loneliness and the complicated ways people seek intimacy. Its November 16 world premiere at Tallinn's Black Nights Film Festival will introduce audiences to a dark, imaginative story that challenges the boundaries between dreams and reality.
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