Like A Rolling Stone

Synopsis

Based on the true story of "Auntie Su Min, the 50-year-old road tripper," Yong Mei portrays Li Hong, who endured a life of restraint for half a century before resolutely embarking on a solo road trip in her fifties, pursuing her own freedom and dreams.

Overview

Like A Rolling Stone (Chinese: 出走的决心) is a 2024 Chinese mainland drama film directed by Yin Lichuan, with a screenplay by A Mei and Yin Lichuan. The film is adapted from the true story of Su Min, the "auntie who traveled China by car at 50," and stars Yong Mei, Jiang Wu, Wu Qian, and Zhang Benyu. The film was released in mainland China on September 15, 2024, with a runtime of 106 minutes.

The film is produced by Shanghai Huace Pictures Co., Ltd., among others. It held advanced screenings from September 7 to 8, 2024, and its premiere ceremony was held in Beijing on September 10. As a rare realist work in recent years focusing on the living conditions of middle-aged and elderly Chinese women, the film sparked widespread social discussion after its release.

Plot

Yong Mei plays Li Hong, born into a family that favored sons over daughters. She suffered unfair treatment from her parents from a young age, had to interrupt her studies early to shoulder the responsibility of supporting the family. At 18, she yearned for university; at 25, she yearned for love; at 45, she yearned for travel—but for things that were "more important to others," she spent half her life giving, enduring, and suppressing her own desires in her roles as a daughter, wife, and mother.

Li Hong married Sun Dayong (played by Jiang Wu). After marriage, they had a daughter, and Li Hong took on all household chores and childcare responsibilities. Her husband ordered her around, and her daughter grew accustomed to this. Over the long years, Li Hong gradually realized she had never "lived for herself." Wu Qian plays Li Hong's daughter, Sun Xiaoqing, and Zhang Benyu plays Li Hong's son-in-law.

Finally, in her fifties, Li Hong makes a decision that shocks everyone—she embarks on a journey alone by car to find a life of her own.

Cast

Production & Reception

In 2020, Su Min, a 56-year-old woman from Zhengzhou, Henan, began traveling across China alone in a Volkswagen Polo. Her life record of "escaping" her family garnered widespread attention on social media. Director Yin Lichuan and screenwriter A Mei used this as the prototype for the film.

Yin Lichuan previously served as the screenwriter for Zhang Yimou's film Under the Hawthorn Tree and is skilled in delicate emotional portrayal. Yong Mei, who won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival for So Long, My Son, is a core highlight of this film.

The film scored 8.6 on Douban, with a cumulative box office of approximately 124 million RMB, and was rated the highest-scoring new film of the 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival period. It resonated widely with female audiences, exploring the struggles and choices of traditional women caught between family obligations and personal freedom.

Awards

Cultural Impact

Like A Rolling Stone is a rare film on the Chinese screen with a fully female perspective on middle-aged and elderly themes. The incident of Su Min, the "50-year-old auntie traveling by car," was itself a social phenomenon that sparked nationwide discussion—a woman who had silently devoted most of her life within a traditional family structure ultimately chose to "run away." The film brought this true story to the big screen, triggering extensive discussions on topics such as Chinese women's family roles, intergenerational relationships, and personal freedom.

On social media, the film sparked the trending topic "Endure a little longer? I really can't go on!" Many female viewers shared their own experiences after crying in the cinema, making it one of the most socially impactful domestic films of 2024.

References

1. Douban Movie: https://movie.douban.com/subject/36587974/
2. Baidu Baike: https://baike.baidu.com/item/出走的决心/64808254
3. Wikipedia: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-cn/出走的决心
4. Huace Group: https://www.huacemedia.com/mobile/index.php/news/info/847.html