Hi, Mom & Chinese Nostalgia | Video Essay

Accented Cinema - Episode 79
Let's talk about one of my favorite movies from 2021, a little-known comedy from Mainland China called Hi, Mom. On the surface, it seems like a cliche film with the same premise as Back to the Future. But if you are willing to examine it closely, this is one of the most sincere and honest films you may have seen in a very long time.

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[AccentedCinema]

Update: The movie should now be available legally in full for free on YouTube. Give it a watch!

Happy Lunar New Year!

[liulynne]

And another detail that English version is missing is the movie’s name. Original Chinese name of the film is actually translated as “Hi, Li Huanying”. Li Huanying is the name of Jia Ling’s mom. According to Jia Ling, her mom is herself before becoming a mom. When woman becomes a mom, people always forget their mother was once a young girl too.

[gaspardbonnehon]

I think that with the (relative) fading of the massive cultural influence of the US, a lot of nations who had previously been completely sold on the "foreign is better" idea are rediscovering themselves. I can definitely see it in France where I'm from. You wouldn't believe how common it was (and still is) to make fun of stuff just for being french, with a negative "hillbilly" and low-quality connotation.

[glass-yuzu]

In a similar vein, “The Making of an Ordinary Woman” (俗女養成記) in Taiwan has proven to be a popular show, with a high class Taipei business woman returning to her slow life living with her parents in Tainan, and reflecting on her childhood. Happiness living with her family and make her own way really resonated with a lot of young people, and there is more and more of these kinds of shows and movies coming out in Taiwan: reminiscent of the 60s/70s/80s. Even though Taiwan was still under strict martial law at those times, that’s never the focus because people don’t want to remember that they want to remember the happiness of their parents’ youth and the candy their grandparents gave them when they went to visit… There’s a slow shift towards these things globally I think; people are keen for time and close relationships

[pingpong]

I'm glad I watched this with my mom. I'm 24 but I cried like a baby in front of her, it goes to show that I love my mom and that she took care of me and my siblings really well. Losing my mom is going to break me, but I'll eventually accept it's a natural part of life.

[jazzhandy]

Not a lot of things make me drop a tear
But that line:" 我就让她健康快乐就行了”
man i needed that

Life is so stressful, there's so many things to strive for and all seems so far away and distant, but it'd be nice to have someone to just wish you're happy and healthy, its comforting, it makes everything seem ok again.

[Leslie_Smith]

At 9:45, the mom's comment hit so hard. Mothers always say that in the beginning but then, it just slowly devolves into a competition with other families and other children and having the child feeling so freaking worthless and guilty. The guilt hits me because I am the worthless child like Jia Ling because climbing up the economical ladder in this capitalistic hellscape is near impossible. I haven't cried this hard in years.

[Youngcl]

10:00 min mark had me in tears. Many Chinese parents want their children to just be happy. But many don’t know how to say it. I wish there’s more communication in Chinese families. This is the one thing I look up to western families that they communicate with their children much more than asian parents.

[alexcoyg]

Although i am Russian, i feel like there is so much similarity between the things you talked about, its amazing how people in two different countries experience the same things. Great video!👍

[joannaw.]

I lost my grandpa last year too. Just like you, I was stuck on the other side of the world, unable to fly to China. And thus, I lost my last surviving grandparent. When JiaLing’s mum said “I just want her to be healthy and happy” I bursted into tears. We grew up with so much parental pressure to succeed, to be the best at everything we do.

[zigglyDev]

I'm from India. Still this movie feels similar. It's amazing how it portray so many feelings and emotions. It's been long time i have looked for good movie. Will definitely watch it.

[kirbymarchbarcena]

My stepfather remained at his bed for four months after his back surgery before he died due to his weakened state and inability to move without assistance. A month later, my dad was in the ICU waiting for his blood transfusion to proceed while I was in my brother's car outside the hospital. When I went back home to change, I was called by my cousin informing me that dad passed away during the procedure. A few weeks later, one of my uncles died of cardiac arrest while working as a security guard and my mom's sister-in-law died of cardiac arrest before Christmas of 2020. They were all cremated.

2020 was not a very good year to everyone.

[tsundokus]

Happy to see truck-kun make it big in China after having a successful career in Japan

[lchen]

I left China in the mid 80s at an early age. I have some limited memories and know that China has completely transformed in the ensuing years and there's nothing left of what I know. This film looks to hit a nostalgic note with me too. I am guessing the final act would resolve the issue of the "time travel" ban in Chinese films?

[aki-rwvu]

Accented cinema is my favorite YouTuber in 2021

[Crescent-Adam]

I'm 90s kid from the Middle East. This film resonated with me so hard that I couldn't help crying for the final quarter of the movie. The 80s furniture and aesthetic was very similar to what I experienced in my older relatives' homes and older buildings here and the family dynamics aren't that different.
Brilliant movie with brilliant acting. Thank you so much for this recommendation!

OK, you're right. I'm gonna call my grandma.

[rmn]

First off, deepest condolences to you. I hope you realise, just like Jia Ling, that having had the chance to raise and see you grow up brought your grandfather immense joy and wonderful fulfillment throughout his life

Thank you for sharing your review of this gem - I definitely need to find it now :)

[Ceevangelion]

I really appreciate these non-English movie reccomendations. It's very hard to get out of the hollywood bubble when you live in English speaking western countries.
This sounds like the kind of movie I would adore and I can't wait to actually sit down and watch it.

[kuri]

This film was one of the very few Chinese mainland productions that had my tears streaming down my face incessantly at the cinema.