A mansion crumbles, a family shatters—history doesn't knock, it breaks down doors.
The film follows the rise and fall of a family in Shanghai. Once wealthy and capitalist, the family unraveled during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and 1970s. Their home, once a French concession mansion, was converted into a multi-family dwelling.
Direction
Peng Xiaolian's restrained gaze lets silence speak volumes.
Production
The mansion itself becomes a character, decaying with dignity.
Acting
Josephine Koo's restrained grief cuts deeper than any outburst.
Director
Peng Xiaolian
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Peng Xiaolian was one of few woman directors working in 2000s Chinese arthouse cinema; this film took years to secure funding due to its sensitive historical subject.
The French concession setting deliberately evokes Shanghai's complicated colonial past, suggesting the family's downfall replays larger historical humiliations.
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