Small Talk

Taiwan | 89 minutes | 2017 | Documentary | Taiwanese | English Subtitles | PG
中国台湾 | 89分钟 | 2017 | 纪录片 | 闽南语 | 英文字幕 | PG

“Every morning, my mother wakes up well before me, prepares my lunch, and takes off.

Every evening, after eating out, my mom comes home, washes up, closes her bedroom door, and is asleep by 9PM.

We live in the same space. But we’ve lived like strangers under one roof for decades now. The only exchanges are the meals she cooks for me. No hellos, no goodbyes, and no ‘I love you.’

I watch her, knowing that beneath the deafening silence lies a secret that weighs heavily on her, keeping her from speaking; knowing that behind her tightly pursed lips is a shame so overbearing that it suffocates her. One day, I finally summon up the courage to sit her down and make her talk. But am I ready to hear what she has to say? And are we ready to face what’s been buried for so long?”

“每天早上，我的母亲总是先于我醒来，她会先准备好我的午餐，然后出门。每天傍晚，我的母亲在外面吃过晚餐之后才回家，静静地梳洗完毕后就又回到属于她的房间里，打开收音机关上房门，在晚上九点睡去。我们生活在相同的空间里，但几十年來，我们就像是同个屋檐下的陌生人，唯一的交集是她为我准备的吃食，我们之间沒有嘘寒问暖、沒有母女间的心里话、沒有‘我爱你’。

当我注视着她，我知道在那震耳欲聋的沉默之下，藏着让她难以面对及言说的秘密 ；我知道在紧闭的双唇背后，是令她窒息且摆脱不去的耻辱。这天，我终于鼓起勇气与她开启对话，但我真的准备好去面对她将给出的答案了吗？我们又是否都能够好好面对那些已经被埋藏许久的过去？”