The Postmodern Life of My Aunt (2006)

Ye Rutang, a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai.

Director:

Ann Hui

Writers:

Qiang Li, Yanyan (original story)

Stars:

Gaowa Siqin, Yun-Fat Chow, Wei Zhao

13 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

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

Storyline

Ye Rutang, a single-living woman in her late fifties, struggles to maintain a dignified life amid the dangers of Shanghai.

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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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Did You Know?

Quotes

Liu Dafan: Put it down here. Ye Rutang, I'm your daughter Liu Dafan. We haven't seen each other in more than ten years. You look so old. If we'd bumped into each other on the street, guess we wouldn't have known each other, ain't that right? This is my boyfriend, Guo feng. First,give me the key of your place, we need to settle in.

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.

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

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$900,679

Company Credits

Production Co:

China Film Co-Production Corporation, Cheerland Entertainment Organization, Beijing Object Architecture Technology

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1