家庭照是家族的私人記憶，也可能是國族不願面對的歷史。從一張家庭照出發，馬來西亞導演廖克發，為了拼湊出生命中缺席的祖父面貌，因而踏入馬來西亞近代歷史的溯流之中，拾起遺失的過去。影片挖掘祖父當年加入共產黨的緣由，溯及殖民時代多族群間的歧異與認同，追問馬共的組成初衷，從抗日運動到反殖民統治，它對社會公義的理念付出；為了尋找答案，廖克發遠赴廣州、香港與泰國邊境，找到一群同樣曾為革命揮灑青春的馬共同胞，發覺即使受過政府壓迫，死亡與分離也沒有澆息他們的理想熱情。全片以導演旁白貫穿，揭開塵封的家族記憶，並用「不即不離」一詞，獻給家族與土地上勇敢活過、抗爭過的人們。

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In trying to reconnect with unknown members of his family, filmmaker Lau Kek-Huat sheds light on the complicated history of his native Malaysia. Lau learns that his grandfather was not only an absent father to his own absent father, but also a guerilla Communist soldier and martyr of Malaya during World War II. In the film, Lau explores his grandfather’s reasons for joining the communists, which led the resistance against the Japanese occupation during World War II. To fill in the gaps of this story, Lau visits Hong Kong, Thailand, and Guangzhou to interview former resistance fighters from his grandfather’s generation. The film is currently banned in Malaysia, underscoring the sensitivity of this chapter in the country’s history.