SpecialsTarget Disturbing yet enthralling

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Aspen Orson There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

tenshi_ippikiookami Ah Tao has been working for Roger's family for 4 generations and more than sixty years. Everyone but Roger lives now in America, and Ah Tao takes care of Roger as he was still a little child. But then she has a stroke and can't work anymore. Ah Tao, seeing that she's already 70 years old, asks Roger to find her a nursing home. But he decides not to forget about her, and visits her as much as possible."A Simple Life" is a very good film, with great acting and a very touching story. It is all a little bit too beautiful (rich guy decides to give his time to old sick maid) as we almost don't see any tension between the characters (except the guy that asks for money constantly and Anthony Wong's shady character). The worst we see is Ah Tao telling Roger to use a tablecloth or checking if there's dust in the flat now that she's not cleaning it. And it goes for the tear once or twice. But everyone, from the writers to director Ann Hui, to the actors, do a great job to make us invest in the story and care about all involved. Andy Lau (from "Infernal Affairs" fame) does a great job as the film producer, going from joyful to subdued to caring, but this is Deannie Yip's show and she is amazing.The movie also has lots of famous faces from Hong Kong film industry, so a fan can have some fun recognizing Chapman To or Sammo Hung.The story is simple (it is there in the title) but simple doesn't mean worthless or boring. Simple can be great. Like here.

Paul Magne Haakonsen "A Simple Life" ("Tou Ze") is not your average Hong Kong movie, as it is neither an adrenaline-packed action movie or an over the top silly romantic comedy. "A Simple Life" is a beautiful movie about real life, love and humanity.The story is about again domestic housekeeper Ah Tao (played by Deannie Yip) who has been taking care of the same family for 60 years, and as Roger (played by Andy Lau) returns from USA, roles become switched as Ah Tao suffers a stroke and has to move into a nursing home. What was once a master and servant relationship becomes a relationship of friendship, compassion, companionship and genuine love and sense of family bond despite having no blood ties."A Simple Life" is filmed in a style very much similar to a documentary, and that is part of the charm, because it is really like you, as the audience, is right there alongside the actors and actresses.But what really makes this movie unique is the spectacular performances of all people in the movie, especially that of Deannie Yip and Andy Lau. Together they really carry the movie so nicely.This movie is a gem in the Hong Kong cinema, and should be on the shelf of any collector or fan of Hong Kong cinema. I am glad that I purchased the movie from Amazon, given my interest in Hong Kong cinema, and I was more than genuinely surprised by the authenticity and heart-warning compassion that is shown in this movie."A Simple Life" is well worth a watch, especially if you enjoy movies that are realistic and will have an impact on the audience.

yschoy A Simple Life is a beautiful film that tugs at your heart strings not because of the story but because of the unveiling of the relationship between a family servant and her 'young master' that she has treated as her own son. It is a difficult subject to cover but the gist of the plot is that the servant, ah Tao, suffers from a stroke and goes through a massive lifestyle change from looking after others to become the one being looked after. Deanie Ip's acting is absolutely incredible in that you are not watching her go through the motions, you are actually with her throughout her journey and feel her pain and joy as the film goes on. You can sense the unrewarded joy she gets from looking after Roger to the worries that she goes through to being a burden to him and moving herself to an old people's home and giving up a life of being the carer to being cared for.Andy Lau's portrayal as Roger is very different from the other roles I have seen him in. It is played subtly and allows the character of ah Tao to really shine through and there is evidently brilliant chemistry between the two and in the film, Roger grows from being a pampered boy used to having ah Tao revolve around his life to a mature man that realises all that she has done for him.What makes this film so great is the realism in all the scenes and it was not a typical film where you think 'this does not happen in real life'. Also, the focus is not on her medical conditions and subsequent pain from her health but her story and how her life changes and the way she copes and adapts.Ann Hui captured ah Tao's story beautifully and I came out of the film feeling like I knew her and had shared her life with her from the day she had her stroke to the day that she passed. Many cameos from many HK stars but liked the way they were written into the film and that they had a part to play and not in the story for the sake of being famous.An absolute must-see.

bjoycelampert The Palm Springs Film Festival ended with a day that included the best films of the fest. A Simple Life was on the list and was the icing on the cake of this great festival. This is a film about our connections to those we love, those we hardly know, and to ourselves. It is a sublimely graceful work and truly seamless. Deannie Yip, plays a maid who has worked for a family for many, many years. When she falls ill she moves to a long term care facility. Her struggle to move into her new role as an "ill person" is completely in keeping with what we know about her character. Great acting! The relationships she shares with the family members she's worked for are studies in the nuances of intimacy. Directed by Ann Hui....it's no wonder she's said to be "Asia's most important female director".