Call it a hunch 5 minutes into the movie, I had a gut feel that SIQIN Gaowa (playing the title role) is going to do a lot of acting with her back. This is when bringing her visiting nephew home, she does a couple of quick skips moving towards the door of her apartment. I would be blowing everything out of proportion if I were to suggest that this little bit of body language in revealing all the frustration and optimism, hope and fears of this middle aged woman caught in the tides of changing times. Read from this anything you wish, or nothing.
Next comes a scene that must bring to mind Zhu Ziqing's (1898-1948) moving prose "Beiying" ("Retreating figure") that depicts a young man's feeling at a railway station where his loving father is seeing him off. It's almost the same setting as Aunt sees her 12-year-old nephew off after his sojourning in Shanghai. After saying goodbye, watching Aunt move slightly awkwardly away and finally disappearing into the crowd, the young man can't help showing the feeling of bitter-sweetness reflecting on how, despite generation gap and conflict during his stay, a bond of affection has developed between him and this sometimes irritating aunt.
Then comes the comic relief. The scene is the staircase leading up to Aunt's apartment on the twelfth floor. From a low angle shot, we see from Aunt's back how she is struggling, middle aged and not exactly slim, with bags of grocery. In even worse shape however is her recently made friend carring a huge water malon, a con man as a matter of fact, so deliciously played by Chow Yun-fat. Having seen him recently in "Curse of the golden flower" is an unequivocal reminder of the amazing breadth of versatility of this wonderful actor.
Most punchy, however, is a flashback from the POV of estranged daughter played by Zhao Wei, how as a little girl she saw her mother walking away from a worthless husband and a helpless daughter, suitcase in hand, never bothering to turn her head with even just one brief parting glance.
As suggested by my summary line, "Aunt" is not unlike a road movie, except that the scene is stationary, in Aunt's humble apartment in modern Shanghai. Mentioned above are only a few of the many characters that come into Aunt's life. Who is aunt anyway? According to Director Hui, in an interview with a local magazine, "Aunt is a woman falling far behind the trends. She has only two ways to go: either be comfortable with where she is, or catch up." She tries the latter, and that's where you get the comedy and the poignancy, both.
I cannot leave this brief report without mentioning the original music by Joe Hisaishi, who is equally comfortable with Kitano Takeshi ("Fireworks", "Kikujiro") and Miyazaki Hayao ("Spirited away", "Howl's moving castle").
Next comes a scene that must bring to mind Zhu Ziqing's (1898-1948) moving prose "Beiying" ("Retreating figure") that depicts a young man's feeling at a railway station where his loving father is seeing him off. It's almost the same setting as Aunt sees her 12-year-old nephew off after his sojourning in Shanghai. After saying goodbye, watching Aunt move slightly awkwardly away and finally disappearing into the crowd, the young man can't help showing the feeling of bitter-sweetness reflecting on how, despite generation gap and conflict during his stay, a bond of affection has developed between him and this sometimes irritating aunt.
Then comes the comic relief. The scene is the staircase leading up to Aunt's apartment on the twelfth floor. From a low angle shot, we see from Aunt's back how she is struggling, middle aged and not exactly slim, with bags of grocery. In even worse shape however is her recently made friend carring a huge water malon, a con man as a matter of fact, so deliciously played by Chow Yun-fat. Having seen him recently in "Curse of the golden flower" is an unequivocal reminder of the amazing breadth of versatility of this wonderful actor.
Most punchy, however, is a flashback from the POV of estranged daughter played by Zhao Wei, how as a little girl she saw her mother walking away from a worthless husband and a helpless daughter, suitcase in hand, never bothering to turn her head with even just one brief parting glance.
As suggested by my summary line, "Aunt" is not unlike a road movie, except that the scene is stationary, in Aunt's humble apartment in modern Shanghai. Mentioned above are only a few of the many characters that come into Aunt's life. Who is aunt anyway? According to Director Hui, in an interview with a local magazine, "Aunt is a woman falling far behind the trends. She has only two ways to go: either be comfortable with where she is, or catch up." She tries the latter, and that's where you get the comedy and the poignancy, both.
I cannot leave this brief report without mentioning the original music by Joe Hisaishi, who is equally comfortable with Kitano Takeshi ("Fireworks", "Kikujiro") and Miyazaki Hayao ("Spirited away", "Howl's moving castle").