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Rou qing shi

Girls Always Happy
Panorama Special 2018
‘My boyfriend’s disappeared’, shouts a neighbour as Wu rattles past on her scooter through the narrow alleys. ‘Serves you right’, she snaps back without turning around. Wu is in her mid-twenties and lives with her mother in a traditional one-storey house in one of Beijing’s hutongs. Both consider themselves to be writers, but success has so far eluded them. The fact that Wu is supported by a divorced, elderly man helps the women through lean periods. Their unhealthily close relationship is characterised by reproaches and quibbling; only during meals do they appear to lay down their verbal weapons. The situation escalates when both Wu and her mother hit an emotional low.
Yang Mingming’s first feature film is a humorous psychological portrait of a fragile mother-daughter relationship. Detailed images tell of an intimacy born of despair and at the same time provide their ironic refraction. The two women’s sarcasm magnifies their personal disasters but on the other hand, time and again, it also gives rise to hope.
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by Yang Mingming
with Nai An, Yang Mingming, Zhang Xianmin, Li Qinqin, Huang Wei, Yuan Li, Li Wenbo People’s Republic of China 2018 Mandarin 117’

With

  • Nai An (Mother)
  • Yang Mingming (Wu)
  • Zhang Xianmin (Zhangxian)
  • Li Qinqin (Zhuyuan)
  • Huang Wei (Grandpa)
  • Yuan Li (YuShan)
  • Li Wenbo (Baogang)

Crew

Written and Directed by Yang Mingming
Cinematography Shen Xiaomin
Editing Yang Mingming
Sound Design Fang Tao, Hao Zhiyu
Sound Zhao Songwen
Production Design Xia Nv, Xiong Yue
Costumes Dai Mujin
Make-Up Gao Wentao
Casting Han Long
Assistant Director Xiang Yinlun
Production Manager Hou Demo
Producer Yang Jing
Executive Producer Yang Chao
Co-Producers Li Tao, Wang Lei, Sun Hebin, Liang Xiaoping
Co-Production Nandu Light Entertainment Guangzhou
Brave Warrior Film Guangzhou
Oneplus Media Peking
Nandu Light Entertainment Guangzhou

World sales

Parallax Films

https://parallaxchina.com/ https://parallaxchina.com/

Produced by

Beijing Trend Cultural Investment

Photos

Press Conference

Yang Mingming

Born in Beijing, China in 1987, she grew up with her mother in the ancient Hutong area of the city. She now lives alone with two elephant dolls and calls herself ‘Elephant’ in English. Rou qing shi (Girls Always Happy) is her debut feature film.

Filmography

2012 Female Directors; short film 2018 Rou qing shi (Girls Always Happy)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2018