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chao news client reporter lu fang

the movie "determination to run away", adapted from the true story of 50-year-old aunt su min's self-driving tour, is directed by yin lichuan, written by amei and yin lichuan, and starred by yongmei, jiang wu, wu qian, and zhang benyu. it is currently being screened nationwide.

the popularity and reputation of the film have continued to rise since its release, and the single-day box office reversed the decline on the third day of its release. douban scored 8.6, ranking first in the domestic female-themed film in the past decade and first in the domestic feature film in 2024; at the same time, the film was successfully shortlisted for the "golden silk road award" competition unit of the 11th silk road film festival.

"determination to run away" tells the story of how an ordinary woman finds and defends herself. li hong, played by yongmei, is just like su min. she has spent half her life as a daughter, wife, and mother, giving, enduring, and suppressing herself. in the end, she finally puts everything aside and embarks on her own path.

some commentators believe that li hong's departure is a gradual awakening of self and a manifestation of female power. her family life is representative, and the courage and determination she has shown have brought encouragement and inspiration to many women with similar experiences.

in the movie, as the eldest and only daughter in the family, li hong took on family responsibilities very early and was forced to give up the opportunity to go to college. at that time, she longed to escape from her original family and placed all her hopes on marriage. but after entering into marriage, she gradually realized that the love and marriage she once longed for became a cage that imprisoned her. she was trapped here for most of her life, working all day and unable to escape.

her husband sun dayong (played by jiang wu) is bossy, indifferent, and fussy. he is always finding faults and accusing her, and he doesn't see his wife's efforts at all. sun dayong's accusation against li hong is "unreasonable". what sun dayong calls "reasonable" is that the wife should consider her husband's face, take on all the housework without complaint, and it is best not to make any personal demands. the two had several arguments, and li hong even used a knife to cut herself off to break the doubts, belittlement and oppression brought to her by her husband.

at the end of september 2020, the prototype character of the film, 56-year-old su min, finally decided to "run away from home." this seemingly impulsive and resolute action was actually "long-planned." the door she finally stepped out of represented that she no longer wanted to continue her family life.

recently, su min said in a conversation with yongmei that when she saw the scene in the movie where li hong self-harmed, it was as if she was back to that day and she cried.

"(it's just) people at that time seemed to have no hope for life, and the only thing they thought of was liberation. i really wanted to die at that time, and mr. jiang wu played it very well. he didn't understand, but it didn't seem to be a big deal, and he kept saying that i was mentally ill. in fact, i have studied whether it would hurt to jump down from the building where we live or to be stabbed with a knife. i have studied it several times. i cut two times here and stabbed three times here. now it rains and the (scars) still itch. i never mentioned this period before, and i didn't dare to tell anyone. now i have let it go, and that kind of life will never happen again in my future life."

after leaving, su min started traveling by car in china. to subsidize her travel expenses, su min posted her experiences online and started her own media. unexpectedly, the number of video views and fans increased rapidly. even more unexpectedly, her experiences were made into a movie.

su min is 60 years old and still on the road. she used to be troubled by traditional concepts, thinking that a woman's tolerance is a virtue, but after leaving home, she saw the truth.

"(yongmei) said something very true in the movie, 'i thought if i could just endure it, this life would be over, but can you really endure it? i really can't.' in the past, i may have felt that i should love others before loving myself, but now i feel that if you don't even love yourself, what qualifications do you have to love others?"

su min said: "since my self-driving tour, i have met more friends and have a new understanding of life. as a human being, i have come to this world. why can't i have what others have? others can make their own decisions, so why can't i? everyone only has a few short decades in this world. in these decades, we must treat ourselves well, cherish our lives, be positive and optimistic, and live every day well. this is what we should do in the future."

one netizen left a message for su min: "i envy you for being able to drive. we want to go out but we don't have the ability. we are scattered in villages and towns across china. we are other people's wives, mothers, and daughters. we can't escape and can only continue to endure."

su min encouraged everyone: "since the announcement that "determination to leave" will meet with everyone on september 15, i have received more messages from friends. many people have shared with me the experiences of their female elders, which are different but similar. there are also more voices encouraging me, hoping to see more beautiful scenery through my lens, and see you on the road one day. in fact, the opportunity to choose the direction of life is always in your own hands. no matter how old you are, you can live for yourself to the fullest."

after the release of "determination to run away", the audience turned to tap water. one audience member said: "it would be great if there was such a movie earlier. i can take my mother to watch it. maybe she can live for herself for a day and won't die so hard." other netizens said "always support my mother and live for herself" and "women must not be bound, but live freely for themselves." just like su min said: everyone's final destination is themselves.

(picture from the official weibo of the film)

(source: chao news client)

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