Montages of a Modern Motherhood

Jing’s day begins with a graceful tracking shot that follows her from the early morning as she pumps breast milk, leaves her baby with her mother-in-law, and heads to the bakery where she works. Her baby daughter Qing is difficult and cries constantly and Jing frequently clashes with her live-in in-laws over childcare and housework, while her husband, who works as a delivery driver, views parenting as something he occasionally helps with. All she did was have a child, yet Jing’s life is turned upside down, leaving her in a situation where all her efforts to build her career have been negated. Director Oliver Siu Kuen Chan meticulously dissects Jing’s struggles, revealing the emotional turbulence she endures. The film’s realistic and precise narrative depicts the suffocating oppression women suffer within both family and society, the pressures of ‘being a mother’ and ‘motherhood,’ and resolutely move forward, forcing Jing to make a final decision.

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