A SIMPLE LIFE (TAO JIE)
Director: Ann Hui
China, 2011 | 118 minutes | Cert: CLUB | Language: Mandarin (subtitled).
“a straightforward and unassuming gem” – Irish Times ****
With perfectly judged performances from Andy Lau and Deanie Ip, this moving and gently humorous film looks at the decades-long relationship between a man and his devoted family servant.
Ip plays Ah Tao, who has worked for the Leung family for 60 years. For the past decade, the only member of the family left in Hong Kong is Roger, who works in the film industry.
Having cared for Roger from childhood, Ah Tao suffers a stroke and asks to be admitted to a nursing home. There, she becomes part of a new family made up of colourful characters.
All the while, as roles are reversed, Roger tenderly cares for her as she enters the final phase of her life. Based on a true story, A SIMPLE LIFE delicately traces a decades-long bond with pathos and humour
It’s an understated meditation on the varieties of affection and love.
