Educational Media Reviews Online

In this documentary film, Lina Yang gives the viewer a look into the often sad and frustrating lives of the elderly in modern China. Their sense of uselessness, and loss of hope, is vividly portrayed.

Through most of the film we see groups of elderly men congregating on the street corners and in the empty lots of Beijing, making conversation and sharing their troubles. These men have all retired and have little to occupy their time and attention. Many of them are sick, or their loved ones are, and they generally feel unappreciated by their families and society. There is little reminiscing among them, no talk of the “good old days”. For the most part they discuss their and others illnesses, high prices, the death of family and friends, and the general wretchedness of being old. Most of the men seem alienated from their children, who they often speak of as being distant and uncaring. Two of them have sick wives at home, and each interacts with his spouse differently. One couple fights constantly. The wife accuses the husband of inattentiveness, and he does little to hide his indifference to her. The other couple are much more tender with one another, but both are tired and sick, and struggling with depression. Both couples express the hopelessness and uselessness typically felt by the “old men”, whose lives the film so graphically portrays.

The film conveys to the viewer the deep sense of loss felt by most of these men. They feel used up and unwanted, and look forward to nothing more than sickness and death. As clear and affecting as these images are however, the viewer is often left with unanswered questions. There is no narration to give context to the conversations between the men, or to give insight into the causes and scope of this problem. Is what we are seeing prevalent throughout China, or only in Beijing and the other large cities? Is it a problem new to the society? Is anything being done to address it? None of these questions are either asked or answered, and it is left up to the viewer to imagine what they might be. The film jumps haphazardly from one conversation or situation to another, and is sometimes repetitive. All conversations are subtitled, and occasionally cross the screen too rapidly to be read. There is also a good deal of profanity used by those observed, which might offend or distract some viewers. These factors, when combined with the films 94 minutes length, can at times overshadow its substantial emotional impact, and cause the viewer to either lose interest or become confused.

Those with some prior knowledge of the subject matter of this film will find it the most useful. They include undergraduate or graduate students of Chinese or East Asian affairs, as well as those studying the problems of the elderly. It may also be of interest to students of Sociology or Psychology.

Recommended.