Yi ma de hou xian dai sheng huo (2006)

A swindler falls in love with a potential target.

Director:

Ann Hui

Writers:

Ann Hui, Qiang Li

Stars:

Wenshuo Guan, Yun-Fat Chow, Gaowa Siqin

12 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wenshuo Guan	...	Kuan-kuan
Yun-Fat Chow	...	Pan Zhichang
Gaowa Siqin	...	Auntie Ye Rutang
Wei Zhao	...	Liu Dafan
Lisa Lu	...	Mrs. Shui
Ziwen Wang	...	Fei-fei
Ke Shi	...	Jin Yonghua
Gang Jiao	...	Guo Feng
Qingzhuo Fang	...	Owner of Metal Shop
Qi Chen	...	Fei-Fei's Granny
Zhou Lei	...	Woman with Purple Hair
Zhi-Hua Zhang	...	Nurse A
Yiheng Chen	...	Auntie's Ex-husband
Yajing Huang	...	Elevator Operator
Yanhua Wang	...	Young Maid

Storyline

A swindler falls in love with a potential target.

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Plot Keywords:

swindler | f rated | title directed by female | postmodern | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [China] Official site [Hong Kong]

Country:

Hong Kong China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

6 March 2007 (China)

Also Known As:

The Postmodern Life of My Aunt

Filming Locations:

Anshan, Liaoning, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beijing Poly-bona Film Publishing Company, Cheerland Entertainment Organization, Class Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Pan Zhichang: It's hard to find someone to talk to my treat.
Ye Rutang: You're too kind.
Pan Zhichang: But look, I'm a man. It's a man's duty to take care of women. Li Sao is a great poem, precisely because it's centred on women. In my opinion, only lesser poer look down women. That includes Li Bai, he isn't a great poet. But Du Fu is. And so is Qu Yuan. Sorry... I have a trachoma.

User Reviews

Postmodern disappointment

The Postmodern Life of My Aunt is not a comedy, as the ads, and the poster, would suggest. Instead it's a depressing story of how a woman's life slides downhill.

I had other problems with the film as well. As someone who has lived in China for seven years, I can definitely say Siqin Gaowa seemed too dowdy to be a Shanghai woman, and Chow Yun-Fat looked too suave and sophisticated to be a middle-aged Mainland man. I also didn't see the point of the young boy's character, although I guess it is an Ann Hui trope (if that's the right word) to have a character's story told through the eyes of a kid. He was a real cypher, and was barely in the film at all. How could he even know that stuff about his aunt? Using the child's perspective in Song of the Exile worked well, but not here at all. I also couldn't buy Vicki Zhao Wei in her role, and her appearance and back story came so out of the blue that it almost seemed like a joke.

All in all, a big disappointment, but I wouldn't have been so upset about it if the film's advertisements didn't make it look like a comedy. I really dislike when advertisers pull people into a film under false pretenses. If it is a tragedy, fine, advertise it as a tragedy. Just don't mislead audiences.