For filmmaker Lizzy Yang Liu, film is a tool for change: “As an Asian female indie filmmaker in the industry, I spare no effort to speak my voice to the public through my film,” she says during our introductions. Indeed, with A Matter of Time, her entry for this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF), her goal is to “reveal the unexposed side of China’s society [and] the conflict between two generations caused by different values and beliefs.” The result is an emotionally raw film that centers a mother-daughter relationship against a backdrop of gentrification, economic stress, and familial tension.
In our email interview below, Liu describes how a career in filmmaking was a “beautiful coincidence.” She was a visual arts student in high school, looking to Beijing for a fine arts program at university. Moving to Beijing led to a discovery of Beijing Film Academy—the best of the best film schools in Asia—whose fine arts program included a major in visual effects. Being on different sets as a student eventually inspired Liu to helm her own stories, which ultimately led to enrolment at Emerson College’s renowned graduate film program in the US.
For Liu, HSFF’s reputation as a launchpad for many independent filmmakers marks a “huge encouragement for me to pursue my dream as a writer and director.” A Matter of Time is a clear example of Liu’s keen eye for storytelling. Though it’s one of her first films, it certainly won’t be her last.
Before we get into A Matter of Time, I wonder if you might talk about your own filmmaking journey? Where did it start for you?
First of all, thanks for interviewing me, it’s my pleasure to talk about myself as a filmmaker and my short film. I would like to say starting my career in the film industry is a “beautiful coincidence” for me. I was very interested in art since I was young in China, so I learned painting since I was a child, but just as a hobby. One of my professors in my high school encouraged me to pursue my major in art because she believed I was talented at it. So, I went to Beijing to study painting and discovered a fine arts department at Beijing Film Academy (the film school is the top film school in Asia). Fortunately, I got into the Beijing Film Academy majoring in film visual effects, and then I started my journey in the film industry. At that time, I was more like applying my skills in concept art design, storyboard design, and production design. But I changed my goal after I went to several sets with my schoolfellows. The art of filmmaking, in general, was so fascinating for me, I felt that I’d like to have more opportunities to express my ideas and opinions by using audio-visual languages. So I chose to study abroad at Emerson College for my graduate school and focusing on writing, directing, and producing.
A Matter of Time is a poignant story about the rapid development in China’s cities and, more importantly, how these developments impact the elder populations. What inspired you to tell this story? Where did the idea come from?
Yes, this is a great question. I like those movies related to social issues and have a big picture. The reason why I chose the theme of the nursing room is because of the rapid development of China and its aging population. To control the situation, China canceled the only-child policy and applied the two-child policy in 2011. More and more families have been faced or are going through the situation of caring for elders, including myself. I was born in 1995 under the only-child policy. Most of the people in my generation are in the same boat as me. When we grow older and have our own families, we will need to take the responsibility for four elders and kids, while working in the competitive industries in cities. We can not deny that our generations have heavy external and internal pressures from our family and work. Facing the pressure inspires me to discuss this topic for my thesis film.
Furthermore, during the period of China’s rapid urbanization, young people from the middle and west parts of China moved to coastal cities to seek better job opportunities. In China, we have a specific term for those migrant workers — “off-farm workers”. In the script, Xiao Yu, Ying’s daughter, is one of the off-farm workers. They bring their dreams and swarm into already overburdened big cities. However, most of them don’t have higher educations and connections, so they have no choice but to take the jobs that require manual labor with low salaries. In addition, daunting housing prices in big cities prevent young workers from dreaming about their dwelling places. For example, in my hometown, Shenzhen, which is also Xiao Yu’s work location in the script, the housing price is in the top five of the world’s most expensive cities to buy a home. For lower-class workers, they would never be able to afford an apartment in the big city, even if they worked hard for their whole life.
A house represents an emotional attachment for the Chinese from the historical background. A house does not only just provide a living space for individuals, but also offers a sense of belonging to them. However, migrant workers cannot afford any house in the cities. They might never own an apartment for their whole life. They are marginalized people in cities. They wish they could belong to the city one day, but they would never be part of the city. In the meanwhile, house demolition is an issue everywhere; people lose their own houses because of government policies and strategies. Some residents have been given huge amounts of compensation; some residents have lost their lives while protecting their homes. Demolition sites play an important role in my film. It not only reveals the realistic situation for most of the places in China but is also a symbol to hint at the main character Ying’s fear of disappearing and dying.
At the heart of your film is a mother-daughter relationship. You do a beautiful job of balancing each of their perspectives. In fact, what I loved most about the film was how Ying and Xiao Yu both represent polarizing ideas that the audience could understand and support, so, in the end, neither was fully right or fully wrong. There was a sense that both really were just working with the cards that they were dealt. How important was it for you to ground the story within the family, specifically from women’s perspectives?
I always believe that there are no people who are absolutely good or bad in the world we are living in, there are only different people. I was trying to explore the deep humidity and actual struggles for both of the women characters. I think Ying and Xiaoyu are very interesting characters that have a lot of space to explore how they think from their inner side. They care about each other, but they don’t understand each other, because of their different generations, backgrounds, experiences, personalities, and concerns.
For Ying, she is an independent but lonely senior who lives alone. She is seeking emotional support from her family, but she didn’t even know how to express her needs to her daughter. Sometimes, she will use aggressive words and actions to deliver the emotions to Xiaoyu to get more attention. Does Xiao Yu understand Ying’s point? She doesn’t because she also faces a lot of realistic stress from her life, living in a big city with her husband and son. As a bottom-class person, she doesn’t have too many options to choose her life. Within these complicated situations, can they find the best solutions to solve their problems and anger inside? So the film is an open ending. Maybe some problems are insoluble in our real life.
Yang Cao and Chengcheng Fang turn into incredibly powerful and emotional performances! What was it like to work with both actresses?
They are both very experienced actresses. Yang Cao has been acting in theatre since she was young back in the 1970s. She is still indifferent productions sets now, even though she is seventy. I can see the passion for acting in her eyes. Chengcheng. Fang is also a very dedicated and responsible actress, previously, she was acting in Wong Kar Wai’s film “The Grandmaster”. It was an honor to work with them. Because my budget was a little bit tight, I was worried that they wouldn’t want to join my film in the first place. But after reading my script, they all decided to be in it. I remember when Chengcheng Fang was talking to me about the script, she cried because she had a deep empathy for the character of Xiao Yu. At that time, I felt that she was the character and she would be able to do it.
I learned a lot from working with two experienced actresses. They read the script and rehearsed with me in the pre-production, and gave constructive comments on some discuss and plots, and I was very good at listening to their ideas as well. They have worked together before in TV dramas, so they have a very good understanding of each other’s performances. I felt very happy and smooth working with them.
We’re currently in a very pivotal moment in Hollywood, where Asian and Asian-American voices, filmmakers, and stories are finally reaching a new level of visibility. There’s a lot of work to still be done, of course, but there’s a tangible shift happening. What does it mean for you, as a filmmaker, to know that Asian-focused stories are finally getting recognized in North America? Would it be fair to say that you’re revved up to add your voice to the choir?
Yes, of course, I think it’s certainly a very good thing that more Asian filmmakers and actors are appearing in mainstream Hollywood films. It’s also a great opportunity for me to bring my own story to the big screen and streaming.
What’s next for you? And where can viewers follow you and your work?
I am currently working on my first feature film, based on the short film “A Matter of Time”. In addition, I will also be working on a couple of independent films as a Co-producer. Feel free to check out my portfolio and contact me through my website! Thank you very much.
