Three generations of Chinese women residing under one roof: crusading reporter Jianbo (Lei Hao), her huffy mother Minglan (Elaine Jin Yan-ling), and a 9-year-old daughter, Wanting (Qu Junxi), who, in spite of all odds, appears destined to escape with her spirit intact. Jianbo is the type who is quick to relinquish her seat on the train to a parent with a baby in need of nursing, but reluctant to give her own mother the time of day. She arrives home in time to catch the tail-end of mom’s prayer group and for no other reason than to piss her off, stands in the kitchen and fires up a cigarette. As we will soon discover, living with Minglan might well be enough to justify a two-pack-a-day habit, but then again, she’s a survivor who’s earned her battle scars. Wanting lives full-time with grandma, while Jianbo, unable to tolerate her mother for more than a few days at a stretch, has two other spots on which to lay her weary bones: a bunk in the dorm and in the arms of a speechless, yet seemingly satisfying lover. Writer-director Yang Lina’s arduously exacting moral fable charts a family dynamic and cultural flow that leads to new beginnings in one of this year’s most unforgettable journeys. Now playing on a premium video-on-demand outlet near you. (2019) — Scott Marks
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