Clientele — Production partners — 2026

Have You Eaten?

He sends the money home. He keeps the hard part to himself.

The Brief

A two-part short drama about a young man working far from home: a hard day on the shop floor, then the nightly call to his mother, where he tells her everything is fine.

Scene by Scene

0:00
The phone
An old candybar phone lights up on a crumpled bed, green screen glowing in the dark room. Before we see him, we see the one thing that connects him to home.
0:04
The glow
He reads the caller ID in the phone’s green light, already smiling. The cheap handset and the small room say what the script never has to: he is saving every dollar.
0:09
Hello, Mum
He answers brightly. Her first question — home from work yet? — and his easy answer set the register: he will perform being fine for the whole call.
0:14
Too much money
Sitting up on the bed, city lights through the window, he listens as she asks why he sent so much home, and whether he has enough left for himself.
0:18
Have you eaten?
The question every mother asks — 有没有吃饱. He tells her not to worry. Anyone who has seen his day knows the answer is no.
0:21
Goodnight
She lets it go and tells him to sleep early. The smile holds until the line closes, then quietly leaves his face — the film ends on what he would not say.