I realize that what is past cannot be remedied, but know that what is to come may still be pursued; I have not strayed far on the wrong road, and see that I am right today and was wrong yesterday. (Tao Yuanming, Returning Home) In the lives of us young people, this is not something we often see, but they are in fact a very large group. So through this work I want not only to show the lives of these old people, their joys and sorrows, meetings and partings, but also to make young people who see it think of their grandparents who have already grown old and their parents who will soon grow old, and think about how we ourselves should live this life.
Chongqing in 2005 is a city in transition between old and new. Wang Tiesheng, 43 and several hundred thousand yuan in debt, comes alone to Chongqing to hide from his creditors and look for a chance to turn his life around. Down on his luck, he moves into a rented room of only a dozen or so square meters, which he shares with six old people whose combined age is about 500; the landlord is 83. As an outsider he is detached and aimless about fitting in, and on his first day he clashes with the old people over a misunderstanding. He is also under unspoken pressure: while struggling to find opportunities, he even schemes to get the landlord's property. Over time, he comes to see in these old people their understanding of what life means and their longing for love. His outlook begins to change, but the inertia of life is never easy to shake off. In the end, the tenants are evicted over safety concerns, and two of the old people die one after the other. Wang Tiesheng used to see life as ups and downs, meetings and partings, and hardship. Now he knows that life is just coming and going, and that there, too, are many movements of love that console and sustain hope.
Genre:
DramaDirector:
Zhang LuExecutive Producer:
Philip Yung (Hong Kong, China)Screenwriter:
Yuan GuoxinChongqing, 2005, a room of a dozen or so square meters. Through the eyes of Wang Tiesheng, 43 and several hundred thousand yuan in debt, the film follows two years in which he and six old people get to know each other, misunderstand each other, reconcile and part.