Ann Hui took a subject that could have been melodramatic and maudlin and handled it with subtlety and quiet grace. A Simple Life gave a glimpse into Hong Kong nursing homes and the challenges of caring for and taking care of the elderly. Andy Lau and Deanie Ip had a beautiful chemistry as boss/surrogate son and maid/surrogate mom.

Ah Tao has been serving the Leung family for 60 years going back to the Leung grandmother matriarch. She continues to work for Roger, the Leung son residing in Hong Kong-cooking, cleaning, and even nursing him after a heart attack. Roger is a film producer who often travels for his job yet he always knows an exquisite meal and sympathetic ear will be waiting for him when he returns home. On his latest trip Ah Tao has a stroke. Unwilling to be a burden she retires and decides to enter a nursing home. Roger checks the place out and tells her he will be visiting her. Unlike the sons of other residents, he keeps his word.

Ah Tao had always taken pride in serving Roger and his family. The role of being provided for was an unfamiliar and uncomfortable one. Though she often refused money, the sight of Roger visiting caused her eyes to light up. During the first scene of the film no words passed between them as Roger ate, now when he arrived, they ate together, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company. Never ashamed of her, he called her his aunt when she accompanied him to a movie premiere.

The view into the nursing home was difficult. Ah Tao’s room was little more than a cubicle with a curtain for a door. She was around people in varying states from vegetative, with dementia, or still quite mobile. As people came and went, she knew one day she too would leave and not come back. Death was no stranger to the home. Ah Tao was feisty and generous, not letting anyone put her down. Even as her body deteriorated, her spirit soared. Though Roger doted on her, he never fussed over her, giving her the space and dignity she required. Deannie Ip gave a wonderfully complex performance as Ah Tao dealt with her health issues, adapted to life in the nursing home, and the change in her relationship with Roger. Lau’s Roger calmly accepted his role of caregiver without complaint as his character showed how much the older woman had come to mean to him.

Director Hui could have taken the easy path and attempted to manipulate the audience’s feelings. There was no hysterical crying or deep soul wrenching conversations. Instead, she portrayed Ah Tao’s health and future matter of factly. No evil nursing home personnel or family members tried to take advantage of her or come between her and Roger. Instead, the film focused on the universal challenges of growing older-facing deteriorating health, the financial and emotional costs, and how different families reacted to those challenges. In this slice of life, Ah Tao and Roger effortlessly displayed the ease of two people who loved and respected each other. At 2 hours the slow, character driven story might have been too long in someone else’s hands, but Ann Hui allowed her actors to shine as their characters showed the importance of loyalty and devotion especially in the difficult times in this touching film.

5 August 2024