Directed by:
Tony AyresCinematography:
Nigel BluckComposer:
Antony PartosCast:
Joan Chen, Chris Pang, Ivy Mak, Yu-wu Qi, Kerry Walker, Steven Vidler, Pearl Tan, Joel Lok, Desmond Chiam, Brenda Palmer, Gabrielle Chan, Leo FongPlots(1)
The moving story of a Chinese woman who came to Australia in the midsixties. A tale based on true events, told from her children's perspective. In 1964, Hong Kong nightclub singer Rose Hong marries an Australian seaman. She and her two children, Tom and May, return to Australia with him to settle down in his native Victoria. But, shortly after becoming an Austra lian citizen, Rose leaves her husband and moves to Sydney where she spends seven years working in Chinese restaurants and has several unhappy affairs. She goes back to her husband, Bill, in 1971, and moves with him, the children and Bill's mother Norma to a suburb of Melbourne - until she loses the battle for supremacy to her mother-in-law, who throws her out of the house. She then moves in with Joe, a Chinese cook who is Rose's junior by twenty years, who in fact gets on much better with her daughter, May. Rose misinterprets Joe and May's friendly rapport, and this makes life together impossible. The relationship between mother and daughter now in ruins, it only begins to improve when Rose tells May about her terrible experiences in Shanghai in the 50s. For the first time, May starts to comprehend the reasons for her mother's unsettled nature ... (Berlinale)
(more)Cast
Joan Chen
China
Best movies:
The Last Emperor (1987)
Heaven & Earth (1993)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014)
Chris Pang
Best movies:
Palm Springs (2020)
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016)
Ivy Mak
Best movies:
The Daughter (2015)
Happy Feet Two (2011)
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
Yu-wu Qi
China
Best movies:
Protégé (2007)
The Great Revival (2011)
14 Blades (2010)
Kerry Walker
Australia
Best movies:
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
The Piano (1993)
Australia (2008)
Steven Vidler
Australia
Best movies:
The Thin Red Line (1998)
The Mystery of Natalie Wood (2004) (TV movie)
Napoleon (1995)
Pearl Tan
Best movies:
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
Desmond Chiam
Australia
Best movies:
Joy Ride (2023)
Five Blind Dates (2024)
Brenda Palmer
Best movies:
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Judy & Punch (2019)
Gabrielle Chan
Best movies:
Jasper Jones (2017)
Expats (2024) (series)
Five Blind Dates (2024)
Leo Fong
China
Best movies:
Cage II (1994)
Blood Street (1988)
Low Blow (1986)