Stand by Me

Stand by Me (野孩子, 2024) is a Chinese drama you can watch online on iFILM, about two homeless boys who choose each other as brothers when no adult is left to claim them. They go home together, even when home is barely more than a roof and each other.

Ma Liang drifts through the city alone, scraping by as a small-time thief. Then he crosses paths with Xuan Xuan, a younger boy his own family has simply forgotten. Two lonely kids with matching fates pull closer, and through wind and rain they build a tiny household of their own, huddling for warmth and standing guard over one another. Then strangers force their way in, and the fragile life they pieced together starts to come apart.

Director Yin Ruoxin draws the story from the real case of China's so-called "stray brothers," with pop star Wang Junkai (Karry Wang) leading as Ma Liang. It's a quiet, aching look at abandoned children and found kinship, made for anyone who values Asian social drama that refuses to turn sentimental. Stream Stand by Me (2024) online on iFILM.