B for Busy

Mr Bai is a divorced, retired painting teacher living in Shanghai. His days pass eating with friends and gossiping. One night he meets Li Xiaojie, also divorced, who lives by her own rules. As their relationship goes on his ex-wife appears, one of his painting students becomes involved, and matters get complicated. Shao Yihui's first film was shot in Shanghai dialect and takes the city's own culture as its direct subject: coffee, theatre, neighbourhood restaurants, and how middle-aged people form relationships. The narrative uses the shapes of romantic comedy but places the autonomy of its women at the centre, which drew attention in mainstream Chinese cinema. Xu Zheng plays Bai and Ma Yili plays Li. The film was an unexpected success in China. Who it's for: Viewers who like Chinese independent comedy, relationships in middle age, and city-centred films. Who it's not for: The humour depends entirely on dialogue and the Shanghai dialect, and some is lost in subtitles. The narrative is also talk rather than plot.