A woman finds it easier to come to the aid of a relative stranger than to deal with her family in this drama from Hong Kong-based director Ann Hui. Kwai (Paw Hee-ching) is a woman raising her teenage son On (Leung Chun-lung) on her own while looking after her elderly mother (Chan Lai-hing) who has been dealing with health problems. Kwai works at a produce market, and when she makes friends with Leung Foon (Chan Lai-wun), an older woman who has moved into her apartment building, she helps her get a job at the market and is eager to help her when the work gets too much for her. But while Kwai enjoys working with Leung Foon and helping her with her problems, she avoids dealing with her mother even when she's in the hospital and she has a distant relationship with On, who looks for emotional succor with a Christian worship group even though he doesn't believe in a supreme being and has little use for the advice adults give him. Tin shui wai dik yat yu ye (aka The Way We Are) was an official selection at the 2008 Tokyo Film Festival.
by Mark Deming
synopsis
