The Crack of Dawn

A hard-working woman with no shortage of ambition, Li Xiao Nan (Sandra Ma) lives a very full and active life. Working as a real estate agent during the day, Xiao Nan spends her evenings selling noodles from a stall which she sets up nightly. Though some might praise her dedication and admire her ability to provide so well for her family, others understand that there are much darker reasons why she chooses to work as hard as she does. Married to a man praised by all, Xiao Nan should have been living a comfortable, happy life. Unfortunately her husband, Su Rui (Liu Kai) is anything but the “good man” everyone believes him to be. A violent man, with a bad cheating habit and an overwhelming amount of debt, Su Rui is anything but the “perfect” husband. Trapped in a living nightmare, Xiao Nan knows that she can’t endure much more of this miserable life, but finding a way out of such an awful marriage isn’t easy.  Suddenly reunited with an old friend, Wang Cheng (Bai Ke), Xiao Nan’s life takes an unexpected turn as their lives become increasingly entangled. Meanwhile, Su Rui’s current pursuit, Yu Hong (Zhang Yao), finds herself repeatedly falling for his honey-coated lies. Caught in a tangled web of desperation and deceit, will Xiao Nan ever find a way to break free? A story of strength and self-preservation, “The Crack of Dawn” is a 2022 Chinese thriller drama directed by Niu Chao.