Qiu yue (1992) Movie Script
I'm 15 years old.
I've only just found out
that the cold weather doesn't
start right after summer.
Autumn is in between.
Mom told me that autumn
in Canada is beautiful.
All the leaves turn gold.
I don't really believe her.
A university there would even
accept my stupid brother.
He's like a kindergarten kid who wants
Mom and Dad to tag along.
Give me a hand, son.
Today is August 31.
It's the same in Tokyo.
The weather's fine, but the sky is overcast.
It's 30 degrees Celsius.
And in Tokyo...
Was it Fahrenheit or Celsius?
I don't remember that anymore,
so I don't know which is hotter.
The humidity is 93%.
No wonder tears come easily.
Girls in Hong Kong
have the same long hair as girls in Tokyo.
I wonder which lasts longer,
a first love in Hong Kong or Tokyo.
I wonder what I'll be like when I'm 20.
Will I be married by then?
By that time, I guess I'll be driving.
I won't be smoking, though. It stinks.
Will I have any friends?
In the last two years,
most of them emigrated.
Cherry will leave for Australia tomorrow.
It will be my turn next year.
By the time I'm 20,
we could all be married to foreigners.
Would you excuse us, Grandma?
You're blocking our view.
You won't catch any fish here.
There's only small fry.
This small.
The size of this room is 200 square feet.
It's on the 15th floor,
135 feet above the ground.
It costs 200 Hong Kong dollars.
I've rented it for three weeks.
It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes
of bargaining.
That's my mineral water.
A camera.
I bought it today.
It cost me 680 Hong Kong dollars.
This room is well located.
It's close to the subway, discos and bars.
I can find girls easily too.
My new underpants.
They cost me 53 Hong Kong dollars.
That's me.
Good. She didn't use my toothbrush.
How do I put it?
Is trapped.
Cantonese.
Happy.
Looks awful.
He's not very bright!
I won't tell you.
I understand.
What a wimp!
- Pui Wai?
- Yes, I'm home.
Someone from your school
was looking for you.
Or maybe they were looking for
your brother.
That's very devoted of you.
You shouldn't light the incense
from the gas.
I can't find the matches.
Thank you, Grandma.
When your father returns,
ask him to have the phone fixed.
The line's very bad.
Please help yourself.
Eat more.
Don't try to diet like your mother.
Plump girls are always more lovable.
That's too much for me.
Have it.
Be a good girl.
I'm full.
Eat it.
What's he talking about?
...cranes...
This is the face of a girl in love.
What are you doing?
Let's have a look.
How did you do that? Amazing!
I said wait!
A nice bottom doesn't promise
a pretty face.
A pair of good legs
doesn't promise full breasts.
A sexy woman doesn't always
promise good sex.
A passionate night doesn't
promise a fresh morning.
You don't necessarily catch AIDS
from having sex once.
Catching AIDS doesn't mean you'll die.
No, that's not it.
One day you'll die.
You will die whether at 30 or 130.
So-called "nothingness."
What a coincidence!
- You look well.
- Long time no see!
You haven't changed at all.
Neither have you.
- I didn't know you were here.
- Neither did I.
It's been so long.
- You haven't changed.
- You look well.
- Sit down.
- But...
- Please.
- But...
- Please, have a seat.
- May I?
Are you traveling?
Yes.
- You too?
- Well, sort of.
It's been ten years.
About you and Miyo, I mean.
About my little sister. Don't you remember?
I'd forgotten. Miyo was your sister's name.
Wasn't she your first love?
How could you forget?
Was it?
So it was.
I thought you were another girl's sister.
Sorry.
You got married, didn't you?
I'm sorry.
It was another girl's sister.
I'm divorced.
You remembered correctly.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Did I give you my card?
I don't remember.
Oh. I've given them all away.
I'm with a Japanese news agency
in the building where we met today.
The telephone number is 386-8195.
Fine.
Hey, will you have dinner with me?
I don't mind.
Oh, I must make a call. Just a moment.
I don't have time.
- Sorry.
- Don't worry.
Shall we meet for lunch tomorrow?
Can I call you?
Well...
Never mind. Forget it.
Tomorrow, at the same place, at 12:30.
Is that all right?
Fine by me.
I must go now. Bye.
Bye.
I don't usually suffer from insomnia.
On a winter's day when I was five,
at the funeral parlor,
Dad told me to look at Grandpa.
He told me to look at him for the last time.
Until then I didn't even know
what a coffin was.
Grandpa was lying in a box.
I wanted to pinch his nose
but Grandma came over and embraced me.
She told me Grandpa was dead.
When I asked what that meant,
Grandma cried
and held me tightly.
Why aren't you in bed yet, Grandma?
I'll go to sleep when the opera is over.
I couldn't sleep at all that night.
I was very scared.
I was afraid Grandma would die.
Why did you skip school?
Did you know you could be expelled?
I wasn't in the mood.
Your School Leaving's next year. Buck up.
It could affect your entire future.
For you.
I may not know you very well,
but I hate to see you waste your future.
Do you understand?
Can we walk to school together tomorrow?
Look! There's a dragonfly!
Help yourself. Eat more.
You're so skinny, like a monkey.
Eat.
What did you say your name was?
She asked you your name.
Help yourself.
Eat more food.
Thin as a rake!
Have another bowl of rice.
In the little park...
You're so stupid.
I wish you could speak Cantonese.
How can I say...
Damn it. How can I say it?
I wonder
if I'm ill.
I like to be sick.
When I have a fever, I can smell
Grandma's herbal brew.
Being groggy... It's a funny feeling.
You've got a fever.
I remember when I was in Year Two,
I had my appendix removed.
Still under anesthetic
and before I fully came to,
I felt as if I was floating on air.
I saw myself lying in bed,
with Grandma dozing by my side.
Come on, hurry. Let's go.
The secrets of Grandma's cooking
are more complicated
than the atomic bomb.
Now I know why it's so delicious.
These are her entire life.
These must be over 1000 years old.
I look awful. Stop recording.
Go away.
Are you all right?
You demon!
Silly girl.
Bloody idiot.
You demon!
Come here.
How complicated...
Hey, puss. Come here.
Your dinner's here.
Your dinner.
Eat it.
When I was a kid,
Grandpa would sit me on his lap
and teach me to write with the brush.
He would make me recite
poetry when I was four.
He had a lot of paintings.
But Grandma's room was
too small for them,
so we threw them out.
This is the only one we kept.
So, my granddaughter
is too busy to visit me.
Please tell Wai for me
that she needn't worry about me.
Whenever the Goddess
of Mercy summons me,
I will be happy to go.
What's important is that
she blesses my offspring
so that they will all live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them to visit me
whenever they have the time
and not to worry about me.
My bank account is
$100 short
of $20,000.
That should be enough to buy a coffin.
Preferably one that is big and wide,
so I'll be more comfortable...
And can see my children
and grandchildren.
May all of them live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like
to be buried in the Buddhist cemetery.
Make sure my plot is at the top of the hill.
The higher the ground
I'm buried in, the better.
With more space
and being more comfortable,
I'll be able to see all my offspring.
May all of them be blessed
with a safe, long and prosperous life.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like to see all my offspring
live a safe,
prosperous and long life.
Then I'll rest in peace.
- What does it cost per night?
- $150.
- Let me pay half.
- Don't worry.
I'll go outside. You can get changed.
Sorry to have disturbed you at work.
No one wants to date an old lady like me.
I'm desperate.
I thought you didn't want to see me again.
Do my wrinkles look fresh to you?
If I have my skull cut open with a saw
and replace a fuse in my head,
I may be able to cry.
Perhaps because it's autumn.
I've dried up
and so have my tears.
A wrinkled woman won't be
good enough for you.
I'm sorry.
I wasn't talking about you.
Look.
My dick's getting hard.
I want someone
to ask me something.
It's been such a long time
since anyone asked me any questions.
Like where I was born,
about my brothers and sisters,
what color I like,
what my star sign is,
when I reached my full height,
shoe size...
What my father did for a living,
how many teeth my grandparents have left...
When...
I first noticed girls' breasts...
Where I made love for the first time...
What was the happiest moment of my life,
and the most painful.
What is my greatest fear?
Death?
What makes it worth it
for me to live in this world
breathing every three seconds?
What is it?
What does that mean?
I don't even ask myself that any longer.
I don't
even remember
the answers.
- Why don't you come in?
- What?
- Come into the water.
- It's too cold.
- Come in.
- It's cold.
Come on in.
Come on in! Get wet!
Come on in!
Go faster!
Are these your belongings?
Yes.
Where are your ID cards?
In my room.
In the holiday flat over there.
Are you spending the night together?
We'll be studying.
Does your family know about this?
What's your favorite ice cream?
When I was six,
I came first in class.
My grandpa bought me
an ice cream for my effort.
It was absolutely delicious.
Now, what's your favorite film?
Walt Disney's Bambi.
I saw it 12 times.
When I first saw it, I was nine years old.
My father took me to see it.
When Bambi's mother was killed,
I... I cried.
I looked at my father who was next to me.
He was crying, too.
Which girl's breasts did you like the most?
Miyo's.
My sister's?
Yes.
They were like the peach flowers at home.
In winter,
the snow makes everything white.
Then the peaches bloom.
Pink flowers against white...
They were soft,
like white snow
covering the peach flowers.
Her breasts were like that. So beautiful.
How old was Miyo at that time?
Fourteen, perhaps.
That means she's 25 now.
What's she doing?
She's in Hawaii
with her husband and three children.
I see.
That's good.
In the year we broke up,
she almost killed herself, didn't she?
I think it was when she was 16.
Yes, I remember that.
To be honest,
I couldn't have cared less
if she lived or died.
I was cruel.
Her life is happy now.
What about you?
Well, I don't have lovely breasts like Miyo's.
You have kids, don't you?
A boy and a girl.
They've returned to Tokyo with their father.
Let's end the questioning.
Do you want me?
Does it hurt?
An old lady can't get hurt.
Why
don't you go back to Tokyo?
Why
are you here alone?
Are you...
Happy?
I don't know.
For 30 years,
I was never free.
I think I have at last found my freedom.
You're very wet.
This is like being young again.
I thought you were going to bring
your guitar.
It's too cumbersome to carry.
We'll just have to sing
without accompaniment.
What time do you usually go to bed?
- About this time. And you?
- I have no set time.
Damn!
Game's over.
I expect to get five distinctions this year.
- That's very good.
- Nine would be even better.
Do you expect to be promoted
to a higher class?
I don't know.
The light's too bright.
It's time you studied harder.
Next year I'll join my sister in America.
I'll do Year 12 there.
- Are you coming to bed?
- I'm not sleepy.
My sister's studying computing.
I want to do that, too.
Then I'll major in nuclear physics.
Not many do that course.
My sister tells me it's not popular.
When I graduate,
I'll be sought after by the big
companies in the US and Japan.
After a few years' experience,
I may start my own business.
It's chilly.
It's late. Let's sleep.
Careful, Grandma.
Don't stand up by yourself after the bath.
Call out to me and I'll help you.
Don't stand up by yourself. Understand?
- What's wrong?
- I forgot the incense.
- I forgot to pray.
- Do it after your bath.
Please, Grandma!
Let me help you light them
and place them on the altar.
- I can manage.
- Let me help you.
- I'm all right.
- Sit down.
Go and sit down.
Let me help you, Grandma.
Careful, Grandma.
Dad was very happy when he telephoned.
He said he'd bought a house by the sea.
He said he'd never lived
within sight of the sea.
My brother likes the house, too.
It's close to his university.
Mum says there's direct transport
to Chinatown.
No one's asked me what I think.
I suppose that means
we'll be leaving Hong Kong soon.
I asked her about her boyfriend.
She said she'd forgotten him.
I told her
she shouldn't forget him.
When she was a kid,
she used to come here to fish
with her parents.
Because in autumn
the fish are fatter and more delicious.
But in the last few years,
her father has been busy
making money to emigrate.
So he's never brought her here again.
According to her,
this used to be a fishing village,
but the young people
began to leave for other jobs,
and the remaining old folk
all seem to have died.
Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In Japan we have
the Bon Festival in August.
The Chinese people
light lanterns and eat moon cakes.
The moon is said to represent family union.
You demon!
You idiot!
In Japan, on August 13,
we welcome the spirits of the dead,
who come to visit us.
Then on the night of August 15,
we watch them go.
In my hometown
we send them off in little boats.
I never learned to make the boats,
but I decided
to make some for the first time in my life.
This is the last time
I'll be in Hong Kong
for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Grandpa used to celebrate
the occasion with me.
He always made me recite that poem.
"When will the spring flower
and autumn moon fade?
"How much of the past do we know?
"At my home...
"At my home last night
"The east wind blew."
I can't remember the rest.
I'm 15 years old.
I've only just found out
that the cold weather doesn't
start right after summer.
Autumn is in between.
Mom told me that autumn
in Canada is beautiful.
All the leaves turn gold.
I don't really believe her.
A university there would even
accept my stupid brother.
He's like a kindergarten kid who wants
Mom and Dad to tag along.
Give me a hand, son.
Today is August 31.
It's the same in Tokyo.
The weather's fine, but the sky is overcast.
It's 30 degrees Celsius.
And in Tokyo...
Was it Fahrenheit or Celsius?
I don't remember that anymore,
so I don't know which is hotter.
The humidity is 93%.
No wonder tears come easily.
Girls in Hong Kong
have the same long hair as girls in Tokyo.
I wonder which lasts longer,
a first love in Hong Kong or Tokyo.
I wonder what I'll be like when I'm 20.
Will I be married by then?
By that time, I guess I'll be driving.
I won't be smoking, though. It stinks.
Will I have any friends?
In the last two years,
most of them emigrated.
Cherry will leave for Australia tomorrow.
It will be my turn next year.
By the time I'm 20,
we could all be married to foreigners.
Would you excuse us, Grandma?
You're blocking our view.
You won't catch any fish here.
There's only small fry.
This small.
The size of this room is 200 square feet.
It's on the 15th floor,
135 feet above the ground.
It costs 200 Hong Kong dollars.
I've rented it for three weeks.
It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes
of bargaining.
That's my mineral water.
A camera.
I bought it today.
It cost me 680 Hong Kong dollars.
This room is well located.
It's close to the subway, discos and bars.
I can find girls easily too.
My new underpants.
They cost me 53 Hong Kong dollars.
That's me.
Good. She didn't use my toothbrush.
How do I put it?
Is trapped.
Cantonese.
Happy.
Looks awful.
He's not very bright!
I won't tell you.
I understand.
What a wimp!
- Pui Wai?
- Yes, I'm home.
Someone from your school
was looking for you.
Or maybe they were looking for
your brother.
That's very devoted of you.
You shouldn't light the incense
from the gas.
I can't find the matches.
Thank you, Grandma.
When your father returns,
ask him to have the phone fixed.
The line's very bad.
Please help yourself.
Eat more.
Don't try to diet like your mother.
Plump girls are always more lovable.
That's too much for me.
Have it.
Be a good girl.
I'm full.
Eat it.
What's he talking about?
...cranes...
This is the face of a girl in love.
What are you doing?
Let's have a look.
How did you do that? Amazing!
I said wait!
A nice bottom doesn't promise
a pretty face.
A pair of good legs
doesn't promise full breasts.
A sexy woman doesn't always
promise good sex.
A passionate night doesn't
promise a fresh morning.
You don't necessarily catch AIDS
from having sex once.
Catching AIDS doesn't mean you'll die.
No, that's not it.
One day you'll die.
You will die whether at 30 or 130.
So-called "nothingness."
What a coincidence!
- You look well.
- Long time no see!
You haven't changed at all.
Neither have you.
- I didn't know you were here.
- Neither did I.
It's been so long.
- You haven't changed.
- You look well.
- Sit down.
- But...
- Please.
- But...
- Please, have a seat.
- May I?
Are you traveling?
Yes.
- You too?
- Well, sort of.
It's been ten years.
About you and Miyo, I mean.
About my little sister. Don't you remember?
I'd forgotten. Miyo was your sister's name.
Wasn't she your first love?
How could you forget?
Was it?
So it was.
I thought you were another girl's sister.
Sorry.
You got married, didn't you?
I'm sorry.
It was another girl's sister.
I'm divorced.
You remembered correctly.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Did I give you my card?
I don't remember.
Oh. I've given them all away.
I'm with a Japanese news agency
in the building where we met today.
The telephone number is 386-8195.
Fine.
Hey, will you have dinner with me?
I don't mind.
Oh, I must make a call. Just a moment.
I don't have time.
- Sorry.
- Don't worry.
Shall we meet for lunch tomorrow?
Can I call you?
Well...
Never mind. Forget it.
Tomorrow, at the same place, at 12:30.
Is that all right?
Fine by me.
I must go now. Bye.
Bye.
I don't usually suffer from insomnia.
On a winter's day when I was five,
at the funeral parlor,
Dad told me to look at Grandpa.
He told me to look at him for the last time.
Until then I didn't even know
what a coffin was.
Grandpa was lying in a box.
I wanted to pinch his nose
but Grandma came over and embraced me.
She told me Grandpa was dead.
When I asked what that meant,
Grandma cried
and held me tightly.
Why aren't you in bed yet, Grandma?
I'll go to sleep when the opera is over.
I couldn't sleep at all that night.
I was very scared.
I was afraid Grandma would die.
Why did you skip school?
Did you know you could be expelled?
I wasn't in the mood.
Your School Leaving's next year. Buck up.
It could affect your entire future.
For you.
I may not know you very well,
but I hate to see you waste your future.
Do you understand?
Can we walk to school together tomorrow?
Look! There's a dragonfly!
Help yourself. Eat more.
You're so skinny, like a monkey.
Eat.
What did you say your name was?
She asked you your name.
Help yourself.
Eat more food.
Thin as a rake!
Have another bowl of rice.
In the little park...
You're so stupid.
I wish you could speak Cantonese.
How can I say...
Damn it. How can I say it?
I wonder
if I'm ill.
I like to be sick.
When I have a fever, I can smell
Grandma's herbal brew.
Being groggy... It's a funny feeling.
You've got a fever.
I remember when I was in Year Two,
I had my appendix removed.
Still under anesthetic
and before I fully came to,
I felt as if I was floating on air.
I saw myself lying in bed,
with Grandma dozing by my side.
Come on, hurry. Let's go.
The secrets of Grandma's cooking
are more complicated
than the atomic bomb.
Now I know why it's so delicious.
These are her entire life.
These must be over 1000 years old.
I look awful. Stop recording.
Go away.
Are you all right?
You demon!
Silly girl.
Bloody idiot.
You demon!
Come here.
How complicated...
Hey, puss. Come here.
Your dinner's here.
Your dinner.
Eat it.
When I was a kid,
Grandpa would sit me on his lap
and teach me to write with the brush.
He would make me recite
poetry when I was four.
He had a lot of paintings.
But Grandma's room was
too small for them,
so we threw them out.
This is the only one we kept.
So, my granddaughter
is too busy to visit me.
Please tell Wai for me
that she needn't worry about me.
Whenever the Goddess
of Mercy summons me,
I will be happy to go.
What's important is that
she blesses my offspring
so that they will all live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them to visit me
whenever they have the time
and not to worry about me.
My bank account is
$100 short
of $20,000.
That should be enough to buy a coffin.
Preferably one that is big and wide,
so I'll be more comfortable...
And can see my children
and grandchildren.
May all of them live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like
to be buried in the Buddhist cemetery.
Make sure my plot is at the top of the hill.
The higher the ground
I'm buried in, the better.
With more space
and being more comfortable,
I'll be able to see all my offspring.
May all of them be blessed
with a safe, long and prosperous life.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like to see all my offspring
live a safe,
prosperous and long life.
Then I'll rest in peace.
- What does it cost per night?
- $150.
- Let me pay half.
- Don't worry.
I'll go outside. You can get changed.
Sorry to have disturbed you at work.
No one wants to date an old lady like me.
I'm desperate.
I thought you didn't want to see me again.
Do my wrinkles look fresh to you?
If I have my skull cut open with a saw
and replace a fuse in my head,
I may be able to cry.
Perhaps because it's autumn.
I've dried up
and so have my tears.
A wrinkled woman won't be
good enough for you.
I'm sorry.
I wasn't talking about you.
Look.
My dick's getting hard.
I want someone
to ask me something.
It's been such a long time
since anyone asked me any questions.
Like where I was born,
about my brothers and sisters,
what color I like,
what my star sign is,
when I reached my full height,
shoe size...
What my father did for a living,
how many teeth my grandparents have left...
When...
I first noticed girls' breasts...
Where I made love for the first time...
What was the happiest moment of my life,
and the most painful.
What is my greatest fear?
Death?
What makes it worth it
for me to live in this world
breathing every three seconds?
What is it?
What does that mean?
I don't even ask myself that any longer.
I don't
even remember
the answers.
- Why don't you come in?
- What?
- Come into the water.
- It's too cold.
- Come in.
- It's cold.
Come on in.
Come on in! Get wet!
Come on in!
Go faster!
Are these your belongings?
Yes.
Where are your ID cards?
In my room.
In the holiday flat over there.
Are you spending the night together?
We'll be studying.
Does your family know about this?
What's your favorite ice cream?
When I was six,
I came first in class.
My grandpa bought me
an ice cream for my effort.
It was absolutely delicious.
Now, what's your favorite film?
Walt Disney's Bambi.
I saw it 12 times.
When I first saw it, I was nine years old.
My father took me to see it.
When Bambi's mother was killed,
I... I cried.
I looked at my father who was next to me.
He was crying, too.
Which girl's breasts did you like the most?
Miyo's.
My sister's?
Yes.
They were like the peach flowers at home.
In winter,
the snow makes everything white.
Then the peaches bloom.
Pink flowers against white...
They were soft,
like white snow
covering the peach flowers.
Her breasts were like that. So beautiful.
How old was Miyo at that time?
Fourteen, perhaps.
That means she's 25 now.
What's she doing?
She's in Hawaii
with her husband and three children.
I see.
That's good.
In the year we broke up,
she almost killed herself, didn't she?
I think it was when she was 16.
Yes, I remember that.
To be honest,
I couldn't have cared less
if she lived or died.
I was cruel.
Her life is happy now.
What about you?
Well, I don't have lovely breasts like Miyo's.
You have kids, don't you?
A boy and a girl.
They've returned to Tokyo with their father.
Let's end the questioning.
Do you want me?
Does it hurt?
An old lady can't get hurt.
Why
don't you go back to Tokyo?
Why
are you here alone?
Are you...
Happy?
I don't know.
For 30 years,
I was never free.
I think I have at last found my freedom.
You're very wet.
This is like being young again.
I thought you were going to bring
your guitar.
It's too cumbersome to carry.
We'll just have to sing
without accompaniment.
What time do you usually go to bed?
- About this time. And you?
- I have no set time.
Damn!
Game's over.
I expect to get five distinctions this year.
- That's very good.
- Nine would be even better.
Do you expect to be promoted
to a higher class?
I don't know.
The light's too bright.
It's time you studied harder.
Next year I'll join my sister in America.
I'll do Year 12 there.
- Are you coming to bed?
- I'm not sleepy.
My sister's studying computing.
I want to do that, too.
Then I'll major in nuclear physics.
Not many do that course.
My sister tells me it's not popular.
When I graduate,
I'll be sought after by the big
companies in the US and Japan.
After a few years' experience,
I may start my own business.
It's chilly.
It's late. Let's sleep.
Careful, Grandma.
Don't stand up by yourself after the bath.
Call out to me and I'll help you.
Don't stand up by yourself. Understand?
- What's wrong?
- I forgot the incense.
- I forgot to pray.
- Do it after your bath.
Please, Grandma!
Let me help you light them
and place them on the altar.
- I can manage.
- Let me help you.
- I'm all right.
- Sit down.
Go and sit down.
Let me help you, Grandma.
Careful, Grandma.
Dad was very happy when he telephoned.
He said he'd bought a house by the sea.
He said he'd never lived
within sight of the sea.
My brother likes the house, too.
It's close to his university.
Mum says there's direct transport
to Chinatown.
No one's asked me what I think.
I suppose that means
we'll be leaving Hong Kong soon.
I asked her about her boyfriend.
She said she'd forgotten him.
I told her
she shouldn't forget him.
When she was a kid,
she used to come here to fish
with her parents.
Because in autumn
the fish are fatter and more delicious.
But in the last few years,
her father has been busy
making money to emigrate.
So he's never brought her here again.
According to her,
this used to be a fishing village,
but the young people
began to leave for other jobs,
and the remaining old folk
all seem to have died.
Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In Japan we have
the Bon Festival in August.
The Chinese people
light lanterns and eat moon cakes.
The moon is said to represent family union.
You demon!
You idiot!
In Japan, on August 13,
we welcome the spirits of the dead,
who come to visit us.
Then on the night of August 15,
we watch them go.
In my hometown
we send them off in little boats.
I never learned to make the boats,
but I decided
to make some for the first time in my life.
This is the last time
I'll be in Hong Kong
for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Grandpa used to celebrate
the occasion with me.
He always made me recite that poem.
"When will the spring flower
and autumn moon fade?
"How much of the past do we know?
"At my home...
"At my home last night
"The east wind blew."
I can't remember the rest.
I've only just found out
that the cold weather doesn't
start right after summer.
Autumn is in between.
Mom told me that autumn
in Canada is beautiful.
All the leaves turn gold.
I don't really believe her.
A university there would even
accept my stupid brother.
He's like a kindergarten kid who wants
Mom and Dad to tag along.
Give me a hand, son.
Today is August 31.
It's the same in Tokyo.
The weather's fine, but the sky is overcast.
It's 30 degrees Celsius.
And in Tokyo...
Was it Fahrenheit or Celsius?
I don't remember that anymore,
so I don't know which is hotter.
The humidity is 93%.
No wonder tears come easily.
Girls in Hong Kong
have the same long hair as girls in Tokyo.
I wonder which lasts longer,
a first love in Hong Kong or Tokyo.
I wonder what I'll be like when I'm 20.
Will I be married by then?
By that time, I guess I'll be driving.
I won't be smoking, though. It stinks.
Will I have any friends?
In the last two years,
most of them emigrated.
Cherry will leave for Australia tomorrow.
It will be my turn next year.
By the time I'm 20,
we could all be married to foreigners.
Would you excuse us, Grandma?
You're blocking our view.
You won't catch any fish here.
There's only small fry.
This small.
The size of this room is 200 square feet.
It's on the 15th floor,
135 feet above the ground.
It costs 200 Hong Kong dollars.
I've rented it for three weeks.
It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes
of bargaining.
That's my mineral water.
A camera.
I bought it today.
It cost me 680 Hong Kong dollars.
This room is well located.
It's close to the subway, discos and bars.
I can find girls easily too.
My new underpants.
They cost me 53 Hong Kong dollars.
That's me.
Good. She didn't use my toothbrush.
How do I put it?
Is trapped.
Cantonese.
Happy.
Looks awful.
He's not very bright!
I won't tell you.
I understand.
What a wimp!
- Pui Wai?
- Yes, I'm home.
Someone from your school
was looking for you.
Or maybe they were looking for
your brother.
That's very devoted of you.
You shouldn't light the incense
from the gas.
I can't find the matches.
Thank you, Grandma.
When your father returns,
ask him to have the phone fixed.
The line's very bad.
Please help yourself.
Eat more.
Don't try to diet like your mother.
Plump girls are always more lovable.
That's too much for me.
Have it.
Be a good girl.
I'm full.
Eat it.
What's he talking about?
...cranes...
This is the face of a girl in love.
What are you doing?
Let's have a look.
How did you do that? Amazing!
I said wait!
A nice bottom doesn't promise
a pretty face.
A pair of good legs
doesn't promise full breasts.
A sexy woman doesn't always
promise good sex.
A passionate night doesn't
promise a fresh morning.
You don't necessarily catch AIDS
from having sex once.
Catching AIDS doesn't mean you'll die.
No, that's not it.
One day you'll die.
You will die whether at 30 or 130.
So-called "nothingness."
What a coincidence!
- You look well.
- Long time no see!
You haven't changed at all.
Neither have you.
- I didn't know you were here.
- Neither did I.
It's been so long.
- You haven't changed.
- You look well.
- Sit down.
- But...
- Please.
- But...
- Please, have a seat.
- May I?
Are you traveling?
Yes.
- You too?
- Well, sort of.
It's been ten years.
About you and Miyo, I mean.
About my little sister. Don't you remember?
I'd forgotten. Miyo was your sister's name.
Wasn't she your first love?
How could you forget?
Was it?
So it was.
I thought you were another girl's sister.
Sorry.
You got married, didn't you?
I'm sorry.
It was another girl's sister.
I'm divorced.
You remembered correctly.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Did I give you my card?
I don't remember.
Oh. I've given them all away.
I'm with a Japanese news agency
in the building where we met today.
The telephone number is 386-8195.
Fine.
Hey, will you have dinner with me?
I don't mind.
Oh, I must make a call. Just a moment.
I don't have time.
- Sorry.
- Don't worry.
Shall we meet for lunch tomorrow?
Can I call you?
Well...
Never mind. Forget it.
Tomorrow, at the same place, at 12:30.
Is that all right?
Fine by me.
I must go now. Bye.
Bye.
I don't usually suffer from insomnia.
On a winter's day when I was five,
at the funeral parlor,
Dad told me to look at Grandpa.
He told me to look at him for the last time.
Until then I didn't even know
what a coffin was.
Grandpa was lying in a box.
I wanted to pinch his nose
but Grandma came over and embraced me.
She told me Grandpa was dead.
When I asked what that meant,
Grandma cried
and held me tightly.
Why aren't you in bed yet, Grandma?
I'll go to sleep when the opera is over.
I couldn't sleep at all that night.
I was very scared.
I was afraid Grandma would die.
Why did you skip school?
Did you know you could be expelled?
I wasn't in the mood.
Your School Leaving's next year. Buck up.
It could affect your entire future.
For you.
I may not know you very well,
but I hate to see you waste your future.
Do you understand?
Can we walk to school together tomorrow?
Look! There's a dragonfly!
Help yourself. Eat more.
You're so skinny, like a monkey.
Eat.
What did you say your name was?
She asked you your name.
Help yourself.
Eat more food.
Thin as a rake!
Have another bowl of rice.
In the little park...
You're so stupid.
I wish you could speak Cantonese.
How can I say...
Damn it. How can I say it?
I wonder
if I'm ill.
I like to be sick.
When I have a fever, I can smell
Grandma's herbal brew.
Being groggy... It's a funny feeling.
You've got a fever.
I remember when I was in Year Two,
I had my appendix removed.
Still under anesthetic
and before I fully came to,
I felt as if I was floating on air.
I saw myself lying in bed,
with Grandma dozing by my side.
Come on, hurry. Let's go.
The secrets of Grandma's cooking
are more complicated
than the atomic bomb.
Now I know why it's so delicious.
These are her entire life.
These must be over 1000 years old.
I look awful. Stop recording.
Go away.
Are you all right?
You demon!
Silly girl.
Bloody idiot.
You demon!
Come here.
How complicated...
Hey, puss. Come here.
Your dinner's here.
Your dinner.
Eat it.
When I was a kid,
Grandpa would sit me on his lap
and teach me to write with the brush.
He would make me recite
poetry when I was four.
He had a lot of paintings.
But Grandma's room was
too small for them,
so we threw them out.
This is the only one we kept.
So, my granddaughter
is too busy to visit me.
Please tell Wai for me
that she needn't worry about me.
Whenever the Goddess
of Mercy summons me,
I will be happy to go.
What's important is that
she blesses my offspring
so that they will all live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them to visit me
whenever they have the time
and not to worry about me.
My bank account is
$100 short
of $20,000.
That should be enough to buy a coffin.
Preferably one that is big and wide,
so I'll be more comfortable...
And can see my children
and grandchildren.
May all of them live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like
to be buried in the Buddhist cemetery.
Make sure my plot is at the top of the hill.
The higher the ground
I'm buried in, the better.
With more space
and being more comfortable,
I'll be able to see all my offspring.
May all of them be blessed
with a safe, long and prosperous life.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like to see all my offspring
live a safe,
prosperous and long life.
Then I'll rest in peace.
- What does it cost per night?
- $150.
- Let me pay half.
- Don't worry.
I'll go outside. You can get changed.
Sorry to have disturbed you at work.
No one wants to date an old lady like me.
I'm desperate.
I thought you didn't want to see me again.
Do my wrinkles look fresh to you?
If I have my skull cut open with a saw
and replace a fuse in my head,
I may be able to cry.
Perhaps because it's autumn.
I've dried up
and so have my tears.
A wrinkled woman won't be
good enough for you.
I'm sorry.
I wasn't talking about you.
Look.
My dick's getting hard.
I want someone
to ask me something.
It's been such a long time
since anyone asked me any questions.
Like where I was born,
about my brothers and sisters,
what color I like,
what my star sign is,
when I reached my full height,
shoe size...
What my father did for a living,
how many teeth my grandparents have left...
When...
I first noticed girls' breasts...
Where I made love for the first time...
What was the happiest moment of my life,
and the most painful.
What is my greatest fear?
Death?
What makes it worth it
for me to live in this world
breathing every three seconds?
What is it?
What does that mean?
I don't even ask myself that any longer.
I don't
even remember
the answers.
- Why don't you come in?
- What?
- Come into the water.
- It's too cold.
- Come in.
- It's cold.
Come on in.
Come on in! Get wet!
Come on in!
Go faster!
Are these your belongings?
Yes.
Where are your ID cards?
In my room.
In the holiday flat over there.
Are you spending the night together?
We'll be studying.
Does your family know about this?
What's your favorite ice cream?
When I was six,
I came first in class.
My grandpa bought me
an ice cream for my effort.
It was absolutely delicious.
Now, what's your favorite film?
Walt Disney's Bambi.
I saw it 12 times.
When I first saw it, I was nine years old.
My father took me to see it.
When Bambi's mother was killed,
I... I cried.
I looked at my father who was next to me.
He was crying, too.
Which girl's breasts did you like the most?
Miyo's.
My sister's?
Yes.
They were like the peach flowers at home.
In winter,
the snow makes everything white.
Then the peaches bloom.
Pink flowers against white...
They were soft,
like white snow
covering the peach flowers.
Her breasts were like that. So beautiful.
How old was Miyo at that time?
Fourteen, perhaps.
That means she's 25 now.
What's she doing?
She's in Hawaii
with her husband and three children.
I see.
That's good.
In the year we broke up,
she almost killed herself, didn't she?
I think it was when she was 16.
Yes, I remember that.
To be honest,
I couldn't have cared less
if she lived or died.
I was cruel.
Her life is happy now.
What about you?
Well, I don't have lovely breasts like Miyo's.
You have kids, don't you?
A boy and a girl.
They've returned to Tokyo with their father.
Let's end the questioning.
Do you want me?
Does it hurt?
An old lady can't get hurt.
Why
don't you go back to Tokyo?
Why
are you here alone?
Are you...
Happy?
I don't know.
For 30 years,
I was never free.
I think I have at last found my freedom.
You're very wet.
This is like being young again.
I thought you were going to bring
your guitar.
It's too cumbersome to carry.
We'll just have to sing
without accompaniment.
What time do you usually go to bed?
- About this time. And you?
- I have no set time.
Damn!
Game's over.
I expect to get five distinctions this year.
- That's very good.
- Nine would be even better.
Do you expect to be promoted
to a higher class?
I don't know.
The light's too bright.
It's time you studied harder.
Next year I'll join my sister in America.
I'll do Year 12 there.
- Are you coming to bed?
- I'm not sleepy.
My sister's studying computing.
I want to do that, too.
Then I'll major in nuclear physics.
Not many do that course.
My sister tells me it's not popular.
When I graduate,
I'll be sought after by the big
companies in the US and Japan.
After a few years' experience,
I may start my own business.
It's chilly.
It's late. Let's sleep.
Careful, Grandma.
Don't stand up by yourself after the bath.
Call out to me and I'll help you.
Don't stand up by yourself. Understand?
- What's wrong?
- I forgot the incense.
- I forgot to pray.
- Do it after your bath.
Please, Grandma!
Let me help you light them
and place them on the altar.
- I can manage.
- Let me help you.
- I'm all right.
- Sit down.
Go and sit down.
Let me help you, Grandma.
Careful, Grandma.
Dad was very happy when he telephoned.
He said he'd bought a house by the sea.
He said he'd never lived
within sight of the sea.
My brother likes the house, too.
It's close to his university.
Mum says there's direct transport
to Chinatown.
No one's asked me what I think.
I suppose that means
we'll be leaving Hong Kong soon.
I asked her about her boyfriend.
She said she'd forgotten him.
I told her
she shouldn't forget him.
When she was a kid,
she used to come here to fish
with her parents.
Because in autumn
the fish are fatter and more delicious.
But in the last few years,
her father has been busy
making money to emigrate.
So he's never brought her here again.
According to her,
this used to be a fishing village,
but the young people
began to leave for other jobs,
and the remaining old folk
all seem to have died.
Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In Japan we have
the Bon Festival in August.
The Chinese people
light lanterns and eat moon cakes.
The moon is said to represent family union.
You demon!
You idiot!
In Japan, on August 13,
we welcome the spirits of the dead,
who come to visit us.
Then on the night of August 15,
we watch them go.
In my hometown
we send them off in little boats.
I never learned to make the boats,
but I decided
to make some for the first time in my life.
This is the last time
I'll be in Hong Kong
for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Grandpa used to celebrate
the occasion with me.
He always made me recite that poem.
"When will the spring flower
and autumn moon fade?
"How much of the past do we know?
"At my home...
"At my home last night
"The east wind blew."
I can't remember the rest.
I'm 15 years old.
I've only just found out
that the cold weather doesn't
start right after summer.
Autumn is in between.
Mom told me that autumn
in Canada is beautiful.
All the leaves turn gold.
I don't really believe her.
A university there would even
accept my stupid brother.
He's like a kindergarten kid who wants
Mom and Dad to tag along.
Give me a hand, son.
Today is August 31.
It's the same in Tokyo.
The weather's fine, but the sky is overcast.
It's 30 degrees Celsius.
And in Tokyo...
Was it Fahrenheit or Celsius?
I don't remember that anymore,
so I don't know which is hotter.
The humidity is 93%.
No wonder tears come easily.
Girls in Hong Kong
have the same long hair as girls in Tokyo.
I wonder which lasts longer,
a first love in Hong Kong or Tokyo.
I wonder what I'll be like when I'm 20.
Will I be married by then?
By that time, I guess I'll be driving.
I won't be smoking, though. It stinks.
Will I have any friends?
In the last two years,
most of them emigrated.
Cherry will leave for Australia tomorrow.
It will be my turn next year.
By the time I'm 20,
we could all be married to foreigners.
Would you excuse us, Grandma?
You're blocking our view.
You won't catch any fish here.
There's only small fry.
This small.
The size of this room is 200 square feet.
It's on the 15th floor,
135 feet above the ground.
It costs 200 Hong Kong dollars.
I've rented it for three weeks.
It took me 1 hour and 20 minutes
of bargaining.
That's my mineral water.
A camera.
I bought it today.
It cost me 680 Hong Kong dollars.
This room is well located.
It's close to the subway, discos and bars.
I can find girls easily too.
My new underpants.
They cost me 53 Hong Kong dollars.
That's me.
Good. She didn't use my toothbrush.
How do I put it?
Is trapped.
Cantonese.
Happy.
Looks awful.
He's not very bright!
I won't tell you.
I understand.
What a wimp!
- Pui Wai?
- Yes, I'm home.
Someone from your school
was looking for you.
Or maybe they were looking for
your brother.
That's very devoted of you.
You shouldn't light the incense
from the gas.
I can't find the matches.
Thank you, Grandma.
When your father returns,
ask him to have the phone fixed.
The line's very bad.
Please help yourself.
Eat more.
Don't try to diet like your mother.
Plump girls are always more lovable.
That's too much for me.
Have it.
Be a good girl.
I'm full.
Eat it.
What's he talking about?
...cranes...
This is the face of a girl in love.
What are you doing?
Let's have a look.
How did you do that? Amazing!
I said wait!
A nice bottom doesn't promise
a pretty face.
A pair of good legs
doesn't promise full breasts.
A sexy woman doesn't always
promise good sex.
A passionate night doesn't
promise a fresh morning.
You don't necessarily catch AIDS
from having sex once.
Catching AIDS doesn't mean you'll die.
No, that's not it.
One day you'll die.
You will die whether at 30 or 130.
So-called "nothingness."
What a coincidence!
- You look well.
- Long time no see!
You haven't changed at all.
Neither have you.
- I didn't know you were here.
- Neither did I.
It's been so long.
- You haven't changed.
- You look well.
- Sit down.
- But...
- Please.
- But...
- Please, have a seat.
- May I?
Are you traveling?
Yes.
- You too?
- Well, sort of.
It's been ten years.
About you and Miyo, I mean.
About my little sister. Don't you remember?
I'd forgotten. Miyo was your sister's name.
Wasn't she your first love?
How could you forget?
Was it?
So it was.
I thought you were another girl's sister.
Sorry.
You got married, didn't you?
I'm sorry.
It was another girl's sister.
I'm divorced.
You remembered correctly.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Did I give you my card?
I don't remember.
Oh. I've given them all away.
I'm with a Japanese news agency
in the building where we met today.
The telephone number is 386-8195.
Fine.
Hey, will you have dinner with me?
I don't mind.
Oh, I must make a call. Just a moment.
I don't have time.
- Sorry.
- Don't worry.
Shall we meet for lunch tomorrow?
Can I call you?
Well...
Never mind. Forget it.
Tomorrow, at the same place, at 12:30.
Is that all right?
Fine by me.
I must go now. Bye.
Bye.
I don't usually suffer from insomnia.
On a winter's day when I was five,
at the funeral parlor,
Dad told me to look at Grandpa.
He told me to look at him for the last time.
Until then I didn't even know
what a coffin was.
Grandpa was lying in a box.
I wanted to pinch his nose
but Grandma came over and embraced me.
She told me Grandpa was dead.
When I asked what that meant,
Grandma cried
and held me tightly.
Why aren't you in bed yet, Grandma?
I'll go to sleep when the opera is over.
I couldn't sleep at all that night.
I was very scared.
I was afraid Grandma would die.
Why did you skip school?
Did you know you could be expelled?
I wasn't in the mood.
Your School Leaving's next year. Buck up.
It could affect your entire future.
For you.
I may not know you very well,
but I hate to see you waste your future.
Do you understand?
Can we walk to school together tomorrow?
Look! There's a dragonfly!
Help yourself. Eat more.
You're so skinny, like a monkey.
Eat.
What did you say your name was?
She asked you your name.
Help yourself.
Eat more food.
Thin as a rake!
Have another bowl of rice.
In the little park...
You're so stupid.
I wish you could speak Cantonese.
How can I say...
Damn it. How can I say it?
I wonder
if I'm ill.
I like to be sick.
When I have a fever, I can smell
Grandma's herbal brew.
Being groggy... It's a funny feeling.
You've got a fever.
I remember when I was in Year Two,
I had my appendix removed.
Still under anesthetic
and before I fully came to,
I felt as if I was floating on air.
I saw myself lying in bed,
with Grandma dozing by my side.
Come on, hurry. Let's go.
The secrets of Grandma's cooking
are more complicated
than the atomic bomb.
Now I know why it's so delicious.
These are her entire life.
These must be over 1000 years old.
I look awful. Stop recording.
Go away.
Are you all right?
You demon!
Silly girl.
Bloody idiot.
You demon!
Come here.
How complicated...
Hey, puss. Come here.
Your dinner's here.
Your dinner.
Eat it.
When I was a kid,
Grandpa would sit me on his lap
and teach me to write with the brush.
He would make me recite
poetry when I was four.
He had a lot of paintings.
But Grandma's room was
too small for them,
so we threw them out.
This is the only one we kept.
So, my granddaughter
is too busy to visit me.
Please tell Wai for me
that she needn't worry about me.
Whenever the Goddess
of Mercy summons me,
I will be happy to go.
What's important is that
she blesses my offspring
so that they will all live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them to visit me
whenever they have the time
and not to worry about me.
My bank account is
$100 short
of $20,000.
That should be enough to buy a coffin.
Preferably one that is big and wide,
so I'll be more comfortable...
And can see my children
and grandchildren.
May all of them live
long and prosperous lives.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like
to be buried in the Buddhist cemetery.
Make sure my plot is at the top of the hill.
The higher the ground
I'm buried in, the better.
With more space
and being more comfortable,
I'll be able to see all my offspring.
May all of them be blessed
with a safe, long and prosperous life.
Tell them not to come back
if they're too busy.
I would like to see all my offspring
live a safe,
prosperous and long life.
Then I'll rest in peace.
- What does it cost per night?
- $150.
- Let me pay half.
- Don't worry.
I'll go outside. You can get changed.
Sorry to have disturbed you at work.
No one wants to date an old lady like me.
I'm desperate.
I thought you didn't want to see me again.
Do my wrinkles look fresh to you?
If I have my skull cut open with a saw
and replace a fuse in my head,
I may be able to cry.
Perhaps because it's autumn.
I've dried up
and so have my tears.
A wrinkled woman won't be
good enough for you.
I'm sorry.
I wasn't talking about you.
Look.
My dick's getting hard.
I want someone
to ask me something.
It's been such a long time
since anyone asked me any questions.
Like where I was born,
about my brothers and sisters,
what color I like,
what my star sign is,
when I reached my full height,
shoe size...
What my father did for a living,
how many teeth my grandparents have left...
When...
I first noticed girls' breasts...
Where I made love for the first time...
What was the happiest moment of my life,
and the most painful.
What is my greatest fear?
Death?
What makes it worth it
for me to live in this world
breathing every three seconds?
What is it?
What does that mean?
I don't even ask myself that any longer.
I don't
even remember
the answers.
- Why don't you come in?
- What?
- Come into the water.
- It's too cold.
- Come in.
- It's cold.
Come on in.
Come on in! Get wet!
Come on in!
Go faster!
Are these your belongings?
Yes.
Where are your ID cards?
In my room.
In the holiday flat over there.
Are you spending the night together?
We'll be studying.
Does your family know about this?
What's your favorite ice cream?
When I was six,
I came first in class.
My grandpa bought me
an ice cream for my effort.
It was absolutely delicious.
Now, what's your favorite film?
Walt Disney's Bambi.
I saw it 12 times.
When I first saw it, I was nine years old.
My father took me to see it.
When Bambi's mother was killed,
I... I cried.
I looked at my father who was next to me.
He was crying, too.
Which girl's breasts did you like the most?
Miyo's.
My sister's?
Yes.
They were like the peach flowers at home.
In winter,
the snow makes everything white.
Then the peaches bloom.
Pink flowers against white...
They were soft,
like white snow
covering the peach flowers.
Her breasts were like that. So beautiful.
How old was Miyo at that time?
Fourteen, perhaps.
That means she's 25 now.
What's she doing?
She's in Hawaii
with her husband and three children.
I see.
That's good.
In the year we broke up,
she almost killed herself, didn't she?
I think it was when she was 16.
Yes, I remember that.
To be honest,
I couldn't have cared less
if she lived or died.
I was cruel.
Her life is happy now.
What about you?
Well, I don't have lovely breasts like Miyo's.
You have kids, don't you?
A boy and a girl.
They've returned to Tokyo with their father.
Let's end the questioning.
Do you want me?
Does it hurt?
An old lady can't get hurt.
Why
don't you go back to Tokyo?
Why
are you here alone?
Are you...
Happy?
I don't know.
For 30 years,
I was never free.
I think I have at last found my freedom.
You're very wet.
This is like being young again.
I thought you were going to bring
your guitar.
It's too cumbersome to carry.
We'll just have to sing
without accompaniment.
What time do you usually go to bed?
- About this time. And you?
- I have no set time.
Damn!
Game's over.
I expect to get five distinctions this year.
- That's very good.
- Nine would be even better.
Do you expect to be promoted
to a higher class?
I don't know.
The light's too bright.
It's time you studied harder.
Next year I'll join my sister in America.
I'll do Year 12 there.
- Are you coming to bed?
- I'm not sleepy.
My sister's studying computing.
I want to do that, too.
Then I'll major in nuclear physics.
Not many do that course.
My sister tells me it's not popular.
When I graduate,
I'll be sought after by the big
companies in the US and Japan.
After a few years' experience,
I may start my own business.
It's chilly.
It's late. Let's sleep.
Careful, Grandma.
Don't stand up by yourself after the bath.
Call out to me and I'll help you.
Don't stand up by yourself. Understand?
- What's wrong?
- I forgot the incense.
- I forgot to pray.
- Do it after your bath.
Please, Grandma!
Let me help you light them
and place them on the altar.
- I can manage.
- Let me help you.
- I'm all right.
- Sit down.
Go and sit down.
Let me help you, Grandma.
Careful, Grandma.
Dad was very happy when he telephoned.
He said he'd bought a house by the sea.
He said he'd never lived
within sight of the sea.
My brother likes the house, too.
It's close to his university.
Mum says there's direct transport
to Chinatown.
No one's asked me what I think.
I suppose that means
we'll be leaving Hong Kong soon.
I asked her about her boyfriend.
She said she'd forgotten him.
I told her
she shouldn't forget him.
When she was a kid,
she used to come here to fish
with her parents.
Because in autumn
the fish are fatter and more delicious.
But in the last few years,
her father has been busy
making money to emigrate.
So he's never brought her here again.
According to her,
this used to be a fishing village,
but the young people
began to leave for other jobs,
and the remaining old folk
all seem to have died.
Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In Japan we have
the Bon Festival in August.
The Chinese people
light lanterns and eat moon cakes.
The moon is said to represent family union.
You demon!
You idiot!
In Japan, on August 13,
we welcome the spirits of the dead,
who come to visit us.
Then on the night of August 15,
we watch them go.
In my hometown
we send them off in little boats.
I never learned to make the boats,
but I decided
to make some for the first time in my life.
This is the last time
I'll be in Hong Kong
for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Grandpa used to celebrate
the occasion with me.
He always made me recite that poem.
"When will the spring flower
and autumn moon fade?
"How much of the past do we know?
"At my home...
"At my home last night
"The east wind blew."
I can't remember the rest.