@ The film is about a young mother, deserted by her husband, who only has to bring up a mentally-handicapped child. It is also about the situation of mentally-handicapped children in China in general and to stress this, the makers elected to use a mixture of drama and documentary.The fictional section, which was filmed in black & white, has a strongly autobiographical character. The role of the mother is played by the scriptwriter Qing Yan, who herself has a mentally-handicapped child. The documentary sections comprise filmed reports and interviews on video. The reports provide a general picture of the social situation, while the video sections examine individual cases.It is not easy for Liang Dan, the mother, to bring up her handicapped son, 13-year-old Dong Dong. Liang Dan clamps onto the idea that Dong Dong can be cured. An accident during an epileptic fit at the age of six caused brain damage, but she continues to hope that this is not permanent and makes many fruitless attempts to awaken Dong Dong from his ‘sleep.’The film provides a stark picture of the situation in which handicapped children have to grow up in China. The Chinese authorities were not particularly pleased with the film.
