from the family matriarch. Nainai’s descendants carry the emotional burden, instead of Nainai herself. This, explains Billi’s mother and father , is the preserve of Eastern culture – family and community – over Western culture’s “I, Me, Myself” mantra.
In fact, there are several moments during the film where it seems as if the real secret is that Nainai, despite the efforts of her fitful family, is all too aware of the real state of her health. That she is just playing them at their own game while enjoying, to the fullest, every moment that life gives her. The casual insults Nainai employs about others, her nonchalance about Chinese tradition, her unhinged, honest feminism and sweet intimacy with Billi, are deliciously addictive.