Last Laugh - XI SANG

Pitch

In a village in the Shandong area, an old farmer’s wife trips and falls. Her children immediately take advantage of the situation to declare her incapable and make an application for her to enter an old people’s home against her will. While waiting for a place to become available, the old lady stays with each of her children in turn, even though none of them want to take care of her. So she travels from family to family, while her state of health and her family relationships deteriorate from day to day. A desperate, sickly laugh finally bursts from this abandoned old woman.

“Through my characters, I wanted to show how the ties between gene- rations have deteriorated, but also represent the vulnerability of the Chinese farming community in the throes of unemployment, impoverishment, economic crises... The grandmother as the main character in the film represents ancient China and its traditions. Since she has become a burden in their eyes, she crystallises their frustrations and serves as an outlet for the social injustice they feel.” Zhang Tao