Wanjia denghuo

"Shot with an expressive, dexterous fluency both in interior and exterior surroundings, MYRIADS OF LIGHTS also foregrounds strong, less theatrical performances that are very much heartfelt. Shangguan Yunzhu fully embodies all the virtues of a traditional, loving mother and supporting wife, but also can grasp the nettle in a pinch; Wu Yin (only 39 years old, under convincing senile makeup), is a spry matriarch with a sonorous vocality; and caught between two strong-willed women, Lan Ma also makes Zhiqing's dilemma and affliction vividly compelling, whereas Gao Zheng's cigarette-offering Xiaozhao, the sympathetic coworker of Zhiqing, is a comic relief exuding unfeigned conviviality, an indispensable component of this fairly-arranged dramedy wearing its proselytizing heart decisively on its sleeve."

This film is about Zhiqing and Youlan, a couple with a young daughter in post war Shanghai. Zhiqing overstated his wealth and general living, so his impoverished mom, brother, sister in law and two children come to Shanghai to live. It turns out, Zhiqing lives in one room, so it is very difficult. Then the boss, who was a towns fellow of Zhiqing and who was also helped greatly growing up by Zhiqing's mom, pulls a shady business move and everyone is fired, including Zhuqing. So the question is how can Zhiqing support all these people, including a pregnant wife? This movie is somewhat difficult to watch, especially in these tough economic times. It is not a happy film at all, so you may just want to skip it for that reason. However, the acting is uniformly good and the story a surprisingly bold one from China. Good, but tough to watch. Not for the fainthearted.

This movie was labeled by communists as "progressive" and by the nationalists government as "reactionary".

The movie gives a realistic depiction of the destitute of those who lived at bottom of the society, which could be viewed as a combination of The Wrath of the Grapes and A Tree in Brooklyn, Chinese version: the live was harsh at the countryside so they went to join the relatives in the cities, only to find the urban life is equally harsh due to unemployment and layoffs.

The movie has absolutely no political motives, just a plain simple depiction of the harsh post World War II living conditions in China, but when the communists and nationalists were at war, the movie is interpreted as their own will and resulted in its tragic fate.