The Song of Cotton

 

Dirs. Yuancheng Zhu

Fiction

China, 2016

In Mandarin with Chinese and English subtitles

90 mins

 

Based on a short story by the US National Book Award-winning author Ha Jin, The Song of Cotton marks the feature debut of writer director Yuancheng Zhu, and stars award winning actress Bingyan Yan (Feng Shui) and popular veteran actor Deshun Wang (known as ‘China’s Hottest Grandfather’) in a thoughtful and moving tale of relationships across different generations and changes in modern Chinese society. The film follows a young woman called Mianhua, who takes a job working as the carer of an old former boxer called Mr. Sheng who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, as a means of finding her independence. Having no prior experience in such a position, she struggles to look after the stubborn and bad-tempered man, as well as having to try and win the trust of his daughter. Despite their age difference she and Mr. Sheng become close, and when Mianhua falls pregnant, matters become complicated as she has to confront her own feelings and separate truth from illusion. Exploring the different values of the three generations since the founding of the Republic of China in a gently provocative manner, The Song of Cotton also finds common ground between them, its characters all having to make life-changing choices as they deal with inequality and hardship.

 

 

片名：盛先生的花儿

 

导演：朱员成
剧情片
中国（2016年）
语言：普通话；字幕：中英文
片长：90分钟

 

《盛先生的花儿》是青年导演朱员成的长片处女作，故事改编自美国国家图书奖获奖作品、美籍华人作家哈金创作的小说《养老计划》，由演技派女演员颜丙燕（《万箭穿心》）和老戏骨王德顺（被誉为“中国最帅大爷”）主演。影片感人至深地描摹了现代中国社会的代际差异。年轻姑娘棉花为了生计找到了一份照顾盛先生的工作，盛先生是名老拳师，身受老年痴呆症的折磨。没有任何经验的棉花，一面竭力照顾好脾气倔强的老拳师，一面争取赢得拳师女儿的信任。两人逐渐亲近，成为忘年之友。棉花的怀孕让事情急转直下，她需要拨开幻觉，直面自己的内心。《盛先生的花儿》以批判性的口吻探讨新中国成立之后三代人之间的价值观差异，以及得以共存的情感基础。在面对权利不平等与生活困境之时，每个角色都要面临重大的人生抉择。