A Simple Life
Encyclopedia
A Simple Life, also known as Sister Peach, is an upcoming Hong Kong
drama film
directed by Ann Hui
and starring Andy Lau
and Deanie Ip
. Ip, in the titled role as Sister Peach, won the Best Actress Award
in the 68th Venice International Film Festival
.
Although it is often said that it is the first collaboration of Lau and Ip since 1988's The Truth, their last collaboration was actually 1999's Prince Charming. Production of the film officially began during Chinese New Year
. It is filmed in Mei Foo Sun Chuen
. Production was wrapped on 6 April 2011 after two months of filming. The film competed in the 68th Venice International Film Festival
and has been selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 84th Academy Awards
.
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Ann Hui
Ann Hui
Ann Hui On-Wah is a Hong Kong film director, film producer and occasional screenwriter, one of the most critically acclaimed amongst the Hong Kong New Wave.-Early life:...
and starring Andy Lau
Andy Lau
Andy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
and Deanie Ip
Deanie Ip
Deanie Ip is a Cantopop singer and Chinese actress, known for supporting roles. She has won the Hong Kong Film Awards twice , while her Cantopop albums were released by Universal Music Group and several local labels...
. Ip, in the titled role as Sister Peach, won the Best Actress Award
Volpi Cup
The Volpi Cups are the principal awards given to actors at the Venice Film Festival. Formal acting awards were introduced in the second festival . Initially they were called Great Gold Medals of the National Fascist Association for Entertainment. The name Volpi Cup was introduced the following year...
in the 68th Venice International Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
.
Although it is often said that it is the first collaboration of Lau and Ip since 1988's The Truth, their last collaboration was actually 1999's Prince Charming. Production of the film officially began during Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
. It is filmed in Mei Foo Sun Chuen
Mei Foo Sun Chuen
Mei Foo Sun Chuen or simply Mei Foo is a large private housing estate in Lai Chi Kok , Kowloon, Hong Kong. Mei Foo Sun Chuen was the first private housing estate in Hong Kong and at the time of completion, the 99 tower complex was considered the largest private housing development in the world,...
. Production was wrapped on 6 April 2011 after two months of filming. The film competed in the 68th Venice International Film Festival
68th Venice International Film Festival
The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,...
and has been selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as...
.
Plot
Inspired by a true story, the film tells about a heartwarming relationship between a young master of a big family, Roger (Lau) and the servant of the family who raised him, Sister Peach (Ip).Main cast
- Andy LauAndy LauAndy Lau MH, JP is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, actor, and film producer. Lau has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the same time...
as Roger Leung (梁羅傑), a young master a big family - Deanie IpDeanie IpDeanie Ip is a Cantopop singer and Chinese actress, known for supporting roles. She has won the Hong Kong Film Awards twice , while her Cantopop albums were released by Universal Music Group and several local labels...
as Sister Peach / Chung Chun To (桃姐/鍾春桃), a servant - Wang FuliWang FuliWang Fuli is a famed Chinese actress.Wang was born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, and her ancestral hometown was Tianjin. She graduated from Jiangsu Drama College in 1967, majoring in Peking Opera. Wang later served as an actress of Jiangsu Provincial Peking Opera Troupe. In 1980, she became an...
as Roger's mother - Anthony Wong
- Paul ChunPaul Chun (actor)Paul Chun Pui is a Hong Kong based actor.He is the brother of actor David Chiang and half-brother of actor/ director Derek Yee Tung-Shing. His son Benji Chiang and his daughter Lesley Chiang are duo in the pop group "Benji and Lesley". Paul started his acting career at the age of three...
- Qin Hailu
Guest stars
- Sammo HungSammo HungSammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
- Tsui HarkTsui HarkTsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
- Chapman ToChapman ToChapman To Man-chak is a Hong Kong actor, best known for specializing in comedic roles in films such as Infernal Affairs and Initial D.-Career:To began his acting career in TV soap operas and moved to the big screen in 2000...
- Jim ChimJim ChimJim Chim Sui-man is a Hong Kong-based stage actor and comedian.Jim Chim, Associate Artistic Director of Theatre Ensemble, co-founded the company with Olivia Yan in 1993. Since then, he has been performing and directing performances that have been critically acclaimed and popular with Hong Kong...
- Law LanLaw LanHelena Law Lan is a Hong Kong actress. Law Lan is popularly cast as a type of mystic in many Hong Kong horror movies.-TV series:-Films:*The Kid *Story of the White-haired Demon Girl...
- Elena KongElena KongElena Kong Mei-yee is a Hong Kong actress and presenter.Kong made her acting debut in many television commercials of the 1990s, and appeared in some of Andy Lau's music video concerts. After joining with Asia Television Limited and in 1997, she landed her first lead role in television drama...
- Angelababy
Critical reception
Hollywood Reporter 's Neil Young wrote that "Film festivals looking for undemanding crowd-pleasers will want to check it out, even at its currently excessive 118-minute running time – much too long for what is indeed a pretty "simple" affair." Variety 's Justin Chang commented: "Fittingly for a film about the challenges and rewards of looking after the sick and aging, this well-observed, pleasantly meandering dramedy requires a measure of patience, and some judicious trimming would improve its chances for export. But the moving, never tearjerking lead performances by Andy Lau and Deanie Ip rep strong selling points for Hui's following at home and abroad."Awards and nominations
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipent(s) | Result |
| 68th Venice International Film Festival 68th Venice International Film Festival The 68th annual Venice Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, took place from 31 August to 10 September 2011. American film director Darren Aronofsky was announced as the Head of the Jury. American actor and film director Al Pacino was presented with the Glory to the Film-maker award on 4 September,... |
Golden Lion Golden Lion Il Leone d’Oro is the highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival. The prize was introduced in 1949 by the organizing committee and is now regarded as one of the film industry's most distinguished prizes... |
Ann Hui | |
| Best Actress Volpi Cup The Volpi Cups are the principal awards given to actors at the Venice Film Festival. Formal acting awards were introduced in the second festival . Initially they were called Great Gold Medals of the National Fascist Association for Entertainment. The name Volpi Cup was introduced the following year... |
Deanie Ip | ||
| Equal Opportunities Award | Ann Hui | ||
| Signis Special Mention Award | Ann Hui | ||
| La Navicella Award | Ann Hui | ||
| 84th Academy Awards 84th Academy Awards The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as... |
Best Foreign Language Film (Hong Kong entry) | Ann Hui | |
| 48th Golden Horse Awards | Best Film | Focus Films Limited, Sil-Metropole Organisation, Bona Film Group | |
| Best Director | Ann Hui | ||
| Best Leading Actor | Andy Lau | ||
| Best Leading Actress | Deanie Ip | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Chan Suk-yin | ||
| Best Film Editing | Kwong Chi-leung, Wai Suk-fan | ||