Director Dong Xueying during the shooting of her documentary. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Rated 7.5 points out of 10 by 4,800 users on review platform Douban as of Monday, many viewers comment that the documentary honestly reflects the challenges and changes that single women face in big cities.
The film was selected for the West Lake International Documentary Festival and awarded an Excellent Proposal award. It participated in the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival and the 11th Beijing International Film Festival.
A Douban user, named Beidao Chunzi, comments that, "It will be a good dialogue starter for parents and children, women and men." Another one named Still-Life comments that, "Life is hard, but love should be soft."
"I personally pursue lifelong marriage, but in the documentary, I'm careful not to present finding love as the only answer," Dong Xueying says.
Last year, off-screen, single mother Li found love and got married to a man, 15 years younger than her. After the outbreak of COVID-19, Zhou left Beijing and started a business with her brother in Yantai, Shandong.
At the end of the documentary, Tan says: "In the new year, I will continue to realize my dream and keep on improving myself. It will be better if I am fortunate to encounter a man who shares similar goals."
