Review of “Modern Motherhood Montage”: Chinese maternal and infant drama

Best avoided by anyone in late pregnancy A montage of modern motherhoodcurrently screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival. As its title suggests, director Chen Zhaoquan’s sophomore feature (still human) tells the story of a new mother coping with the emotional and physical needs of her infant daughter, and it paints a harrowing portrait.

The film begins with enough of a pastoral scene, with close-ups of the crib mobile perhaps suggesting the child falling into tranquility during the calm nights and mornings. But sadly, that’s not the case for Jing (Haiwei Tan) and her newborn, who spends most of her waking hours crying hysterically. The resulting physical exhaustion was especially difficult for Jing because she worked long hours at a bakery and was obsessed with keeping her job.

She and her husband Wei (Luo Zhenye) live with his parents – “Good luck!” a colleague says viciously – and his efforts are not always beneficial. Once, Jing discovered that her child was covered in black spots, which were caused by the ashes of the “talisman paper” used by her mother-in-law (played by Pang Hangying) to bless her child with good luck. Jing was also determined to breastfeed, and she was naturally very annoyed when she discovered that her mother-in-law was using formula without her permission.

Jing discovered to her dismay that breastfeeding was not easy. She sought advice from friends and browsed online forums, using various mechanical pumps and dietary methods to increase her milk supply. But her efforts were mostly in vain. Meanwhile, Wei, who has a full-time job, displays classic incompetence—reluctantly providing minimal childcare assistance and belittling her desire to continue working. Even the couple’s intimacy suffered, with their attempts at lovemaking ending abruptly after they became too painful for her.

After Jing was fired (her boss’s reasoning was that her coworkers didn’t have husbands to support her), she desperately tried to find another job. Prospective employers were impressed with her baking skills but refused to hire her after she revealed she was having a baby. Eventually, she discovered that she had lied about her identity.

Jackie Chan, who wrote the script after the birth of his first child, offers a deeply sympathetic depiction of Jing’s pain. She is moved by Tan’s brilliant depiction, which movingly conveys Jing’s changing moods. Perhaps the highlight of her performance was her lengthy monologue about motherhood, in which Jing confessed to feeling everything from overwhelming joy to utter despair. You find yourself sympathizing with her, even when all she can do is scream helplessly at her sobbing little daughter.

Later, in a tender moment with her mother (Ojaman Patra) who is trying to comfort her, Jing tearfully admits, “I miss being a daughter.” The stress of a new pregnancy and its attendant consequences are dissected with near-clinical precision. the possible loss of self-identity that comes with it, A montage of modern motherhood A subject whose universal emotions are treated with depth and sensitivity.