Tag: Shao Yihui

好东西 / Her story

I saw the movie 好东西 / Her story by random on an airplane. It’s only after watching it that I realised that director 邵艺辉 / Shao Yihui also made the movie 爱情神话 / “B for Busy” that I wrote about in 2022.

Both movies have a lot in common. They study the life of a few characters and their relationships over a short period of time. They are very intimate and make me feel like watching some French movies. Both movies are filmed around the streets of Shanghai former French concession. The city, its 1920s and 1930s buildings and its streets lined with pane trees are the main characters of the movies. Some of the indoor scene shows the details and charm of those old buildings, along with the (minor) drawback of living in those.

One of the main difference between both movies is the kind of people involved. B for busy’s characters were mostly talking in Shanghainese dialect, describing the live of a group of local Shanghainese people. This made it very popular in the city when it was out in 2022. Her story is about people who live in Shanghai but are not originally from the city.

Shanghai dialect is notoriously difficult to understand for non Shanghainese. Although they can grasp it after years living in the city, few non native speakers will ever master it. This is a real difference between local Shanghainese people and those that come to live in the city later in their live. when B for busy was the story of Shanghainese people, her story is the tale of non Shanghainese people who made the city their own. In real life, both worlds live next to each other and are intertwined, but they are still somewhat distant even today.

The director clearly is in love with Shanghai and its historical buildings. I was not surprised to find out that she actually lives in Shanghai, probably around those areas. I must admit that I spent a good part of the movie looking for clues about filming locations.

The main story is focused on a single mother and young singer that happen to become neighbours. They both live in the same old lane house and unexpectedly end up being good friend. The movie is the story of this friendship and of their privates lifes. It’s a light romantic comedy with a strong feministic focus. I found it really enjoyable to watch besides the Shanghai angle. Just like B for Busy, it’s great movie about life in Shanghai.

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爱情神话 / B for busy

爱情神话, in English “B for busy” is a recent Shanghai movie that has taken the city like a storm. This is a story of Shanghai people, taking place in the heart of Shanghai… in Shanghai dialect.

爱情神话 movie poster

爱情神话 can be translated as “love myth”. The movie is a romantic comedy centered on Old Bai, a Shanghai man in his mid 40s. Divorced since years, he still looking for love and find himself the center of attention of three women. His Tango lover ex-wife is still around, and his own mother never accepted their divorce. One of his female student is also showing clear interest, though he is mostly some kind of distraction for her. Along comes a new friend that is attracting a lot of his attention. This trio of women makes a mess of his own little comfortable life, along with old friend Lao Wu, with his legendary past adventures with women.

The movie reminded me a lot of French movies, that are often centered around a couple of people in a short period of time. It studies the interaction between and how they change each character’s life. It also gives a sense of intimacy that really helps the viewer to relate with the movies characters. It’s a romantic comedy, and like in many French movies, the viewer will experience both laugh and sadness within short periods of times, making the movie very close to real life. Like many intimate French movies, it is depicting the life of the middle class, with cultural or artistic background.

Having lived in Shanghai for more than 18 years, I could also find a lot of reminders of my own life in Shanghai. All characters speak Shanghai dialect and characters are a real reflection of Shanghai life, including food and habits. All exteriors have been filmed in the streets of the Former French Concession, where a lot of Shanghai people in their midlife have spent their childhood in, just like characters of the movie. Walking down one of those streets, I am half expecting to meet the movies characters along the way. The whole movie actually feels like a love letter to life in this city.

The combination of strong Shanghai feeling and close intimacy with the characters is surely what has made the success of the movie in Shanghai. At the same time, it is also attracting foreigners who live in the city, as it gives all of us a sense of proximity and belonging. .. thanks to the English subtitles in the theater version. Hopefully, this will also make successful abroad as well, showing a very human face of Shanghai to the World.

Update 2024: The new series “繁花 / Shanghai blossoms” in Shanghainese is the new pride for Shanghai people.

Update 2025: B for busy director’s 邵艺辉 / Shao Yihui new movie is also about life in Shanghai. See post Her story for more details.

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