Refrain

2006, Chinese. Directed by Zi'en Cui.

Two brothers are the focus of this film. The older brother has a mental disability and the younger brother has AIDS. Since their parents abandoned them long time ago, they depend on each other for survival. The little brother feeds the two on the earnings from his singing. Each song that the older brother can sing was taught him by the younger brother. Yet he had bits of liturgical knowledge that the younger one does not. When the little brother knows he is approaching death, he brings his brother to the nearby train station for a last glance of the landscape they grew up with. He wants to kill both himself and his brother. However, the older brother is very afraid of death and wants a final, big meal. In the evening, the big brother cooks dinner for the younger one. After, they bathe each other’s feet, then make love, till the younger brother dies in ecstasy. That’s the big brother’s way of letting the younger one feel eternal joy in his deep sleep.

Runtime

1h 49m

Post-credits

None listed

Language

Chinese

Rated

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