A Woman Trapped in Time

Martine Thérouanne

A portrait of a woman in her fifties, suffocating under punishing work, an indifferent husband and the schooling of her youngest son. The film shows us a great deal: about labour, in the constant adaptation demanded by heavy physical work as the company faces relocation; about family life, where she is a decisive businesswoman at work and rules the household with an iron hand; about the younger generation, with an elder son who works in the family firm and, like so many of his age, disappears into video games, and a younger son far more interested in ants than in English class. It also captures scenes of traditional culture, above all Spring Festival, the centrepiece of Chinese life. The rhythm of the film answers, quietly, to the rhythm of her life.