Life in Reflection and Retrospection
As Wu Di's film gradually reached its climax, it was suddenly interrupted by an unexpected accident. On the filming set, his mother unfortunately passed away due to a sudden heart attack. However, the film did not end there; instead, it opened up a new chapter. The subsequent scenes unfolded through the father reviewing the filmed footage or through Wu Di's memories of his mother.
In fact, a person is multifaceted, and only one side is presented to others; many layers remain unshown. A person presents differently at different times and in front of different people. In the film footage, the mother, as an actress, recounts her childhood living environment and her family's interests. Her father loved music and had many records of famous musicians at home, including Brahms, Bach, Debussy... In conversations with her son, the mother also spoke of her dreams, expressing regret for not applying to the Beijing Dance Academy, so she was willing to let her son go to Beijing to explore.
Initially, the father opposed making this film, believing it was not a script at all and that including such trivial matters was exposing family secrets. After his partner's death, he gained a deeper understanding of his wife through watching the footage. He knew she hated leaving things unfinished, so he was determined to continue filming the movie that she had not completed. Thus, he dressed up and personally portrayed his wife, capturing her silhouette while she was cooking in the kitchen. At that time, the male lead had given her two tickets to a concert, and she was contemplating whether to go or not.
Everyone has their little secrets, even between spouses; allowing them to exist is essential for life to continue normally.
By the end of the film, Wu Shuang finally leaves Sichuan to follow her boyfriend to Shenzhen to start a new life, while Wu Di drives to see his sister off. On the way, Wu Di encounters Feng Liuliu. She is sitting in a luxury car with her son, and the one driving seems to be her new man; she has already become a successful person. Meanwhile, he remains a taxi driver in a local city, and his film has been submitted by his sister to an overseas film festival, but there has been no news yet; it could either win a grand prize or sink into obscurity. They do not greet each other but go their separate ways.
This is the best way for them to deal with it; at this moment, silence speaks louder than words. The film does not provide them with a romantic and beautiful ending, as it resembles our lives more closely. Some people meet by chance at a certain time and place; they may have inspired and helped each other, but gradually, they are pushed apart and distanced by the tides of life, with no further opportunities for intersection. There are no goodbyes, no nostalgia; this is our life.