'My Son' shows challenges of single dad in modern China
China has been paying increasing attention to the welfare and mental health of children; even shown by the country’s movie industry.
A still from the film ‘My Son’ shows an intimate moment shared by delivery driver Cao Dewang and the young boy he cares for. The movie hit Chinese theatres on Friday, December 3, 2021.[Photo provided to China Plus]
Following the recent publishing of State of the World's Children 2021 Executive Summary by UNICEF, with a special focus on how risk and protective factors in the home, school and community shape mental health outcomes, a new Chinese movie, My Son, hit Chinese theatres Friday (December 3).
They say a parent’s love is unconditional, but how should a man react when his wife dies in a tragic road accident with her lover shortly after giving birth to the other man’s baby boy?
The gut-wrenching moral conundrums thrown up by this scenario, as well as the trials and tribulations of being a single dad in modern-day China, are put firmly under the spotlight for examination in the Chinese movie My Son.
Told from the perspective of jilted and bereaved husband Cao Dewang, the narrative focuses on the challenges that befall Cao, as he tries to raise his late wife’s son while working as a delivery driver.
Cao’s dire financial straits compel him to take the young boy on his deliveries, paving the way for poignant moments with the baby perched on the back of his bike.
A still from the film ‘My Son’ shows an intimate moment shared by delivery driver Cao Dewang and the young boy he cares for. The movie hit Chinese theatres on Friday, December 3, 2021. [Photo provided to China Plus]
At a pre-screening event held earlier this week, a new mother is one of the moviegoers who commented that she shared the embarrassment of a lack of time with her baby as a result of being overburdened with her work. “Many conflicts will arise as a result of lack of care for children. And after watching this movie, I want to soon return home to my baby,” said the mother.
After screening as the opening film of this October’s Chongqing Youth Film Festival, the film has also been selected for the 13th Macau International Movie Festival, slated for the end of December.
The film is also actor-turned-director Cao Bingkun’s directorial debut.
A still from the film ‘My Son’ shows an intimate moment shared by delivery driver Cao Dewang and the young boy he cares for. The movie hit Chinese theatres on Friday, December 3, 2021. [Photo provided to China Plus]