Death and the maiden = Si shen yu shao nu

Synopsis:
An old man committed suicide as he realized he had no more than three months to live because of liver cancer. A 26-year old girl lost hope for life as one of her legs was amputated because of blood disease. Death and the Maiden tells the story of how an old man and a girl encouraged each other to fight against death and live life with hope. The old man, a writer, condemns the doctor for saving his life as this would only make him suffer in his final days of life. However, the old man promised to live on in order to help a young lady he encountered in the hospital to survive the hardship in her life and marry her boyfriend. The liver cancer took the old man’s life eventually and the girl lost the other leg. However, after the old man’s death, the girl is determined to live life with hope. The film ends in the girl’s boyfriend pushing a wheelchair for her, both full of hope for a new life together.

Cultural History of the Film:
The screenwriter of the film, Shi Tiesheng, is a well-known writer in China and Shi is himself a disabled person and wheel-chair bound. The film was devoted to the UN Decade of Disabled Persons, 1983-1992.

Researcher’s Comments:
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Chinese government set up various role models, among which a most famous is a disabled lady, Zhang Haidi, to encourage people, particularly young people, to have firm belief in the socialist course. This film is produced in such a background and reflects the Chinese film authorities’ view that a primary function of film is to educate people.

Additional Information:
Good cinematography and editing.

(3 stars - Yuxing Zhou; May 21, 2010)