Yingying Liu
毑
婆
Jie Po​
Documentary Film 5 min 41 sec
This project is a short documentary I produced independently. It focuses on an elderly woman living in the Hakka region of China, documents her day-to-day life and past experiences. She grows old in a place where she has lived all her life. The story of an old country woman's life is condensed in this documentary.
Inspiration
The word "毑婆" is a Hakka dialect word meaning grandmother and is still commonly used. “毑” means mother.
In the past, in the countryside, people worked hard to farm. They have to survive and bring up their children. Their whole lives were spent working constantly to survive and raise children. They were used to this kind of life. Even though their children have grown up and the lives have gradually become better, they still choose to stay in that place.
Looking at their past and present, their souls have become accustomed to the heavy burden. These people born in the old times, although living in the present time, their souls and memories are left in the past.
I want to focus on documenting the story of such an experience, so I chose to go to the source of half of my bloodline, Hakka. The old woman in the film is not only telling about herself, but also about the lives of many old people in the countryside.
Tiandi Ye
​Tiandi Ye was born in Hakka, where she has spent almost all of her life so far.
She has raised four children. The children are now living in different places.
After the death of her husband, she chose to stay alone in Hakka.
She is the epitome of many similar elderly people in the Hakka region.
Screen Style
Before I officially started shooting, I lived in the Hakka region for a while and established the style of screen I wanted through photography, and looked for locations that would be used for scenery shot.
Shoot Analysis
Animals are used several times to allude to the main character. They represent her qualities: hard-working, plain and devotion.
Dogs chained in front of a small house and livestock in cages are the most common animals in her life. Lonely old woman keep them, and her mind is trapped in one place just like these animals.
​When the young people pass by the main character, it is as if she is looking at her youth. When she is trapped in her memories, does she envy the freedom of those people? Are those memories nostalgic for her or are they a burden that cannot be lifted?
Post Production Script
