Though in the past, can't be forgotten
"When I first heard about the movie, I thought I would not want see it. I ended up watching it twice the night I got it," said a 48-year-old entrepreneur who used to be a laid-off worker in northeast China.
"The moment I was told that I was fired, I just did not know what to do," said the man. "For me it was just like losing something that you belong to." Many people at that time felt lost and tragedies were happening everywhere.
"At that time, many people, especially government officials who were involved in the reform, only hoped that this period of time could pass soon," said Guo Yuhua, a social researcher.
"But the passing of this time did not mean the end of this period. These people shouldered negative consequences for the whole of society; they should not be forgotten," said Guo. "Though some tragedies cannot be made up for, we'd better not forget the tragedy," he added.
That period of time was a common memory for those laid-off workers and their families. The leading actress in the film, who also grew up in the northeast of China, said that the factory in the movie reminded her of her childhood when her mother worked in a state-owned oxygen manufacturing plant.
Another actor in the movie invited his mother to see the film. Though the mother did not comment on the movie, the tears in her eyes let people know that the period of time still lingered in her heart.
Do not walk so fast
"Chinese society has been growing very fast for quite some time, therefore, some history and stories have been left behind," said Wu. "We hardly think of people who died because of the enterprise reforms, if you do not see the movie," he added.
"China is still under a social and economic reform, but if we just leave these memories and history behind, the development may sacrifice more," said Guo.
"The purpose of shooting this film is to let people remember that period and remind people not to go too fast, leaving some meaningful parts of history behind," said the director.
