BLISS (2006)
Date: Thursday 28 June 2012
Time: 7.00pm (7pm – Documentary PALACE MUSEUM TAIPEI RARE CALLIGRAPHY, 7.30pm – Feature Film BLISS)
Venue: Committee Room One, Wellington City Council, 101 Wakefield Street.
Bliss (Chinese: 浮生; pinyin: Fú shēng; literally “Floating Lives”) is a 2006 Chinese family drama film directed by Sheng Zhimin and produced by Hong Kong director Fruit Chan.
Bliss premiered at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival where it won the NETPAC award, and had its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. It also screened at the 2007 Shanghai International Film Festival, where it picked up a best picture prize for the New Talent side-competition. (96 minutes, English subtitles)
Director: Sheng Zhimin, Starring: Liao Zhong, Wang Lan, Xu Tao, He Qin, He Xingquan, Guan Jiangge.
All welcome. Gold coin donation.
Plot
Bliss tells the story of a modern and non-traditional family living in Chongqing. Lao Li (He Xingquan) is a once-divorced retired police officer, currently living with his second wife Zhang Xiu’e (Guan Jiangge). Lao Li’s first wife ran off years ago, forcing him to raise his son, Jianjun alone.
Jianjun (Liao Zhong), now a grown man, has recently married Xiaohong (Wang Lan) and works long hours as a taxi driver. A passive man, Jianjun and Xiaohong’s marriage is suffering from his long hours and her resentments. She eventually begins an affair and becomes pregnant, though the father remains a mystery. Jianjun announces that the baby will be born when Xiaohong discovers that her condition was actually a false pregnancy, and that she has actually been diagnosed with uterine cancer.
Meanwhile, Xiu’e’s son from a previous marriage, the delinquent Xiaolei (Xu Tao) has begun to run with local hoodlums, much to the consternation of his mother and stepfather. Lao Li steps in and gets Xiaolei a job on a trolley-car, where he becomes interested in the pretty coworker, Qian Xue (He Qin). Unfortunately Xiaolei seems unable to escape from his life of petty crime.
Into this drama, Lao Li receives an unexpected package, his first wife’s ashes. Lao Li must now try to find a suitable burial place for the ashes, all while trying to keep his crumbling family together.
