Original subtitles

Hi, Mama.

Hi, Theresa.

How's it going?

Pretty good now.

You know, I retired today.

Oh, right! Oh, my god! Congratulations!

Thank you. I'm out with Lena.

Lena, did you hear

that it's Mama's first day of retirement?

Hey, congratulations!

Thank you. Did you hear that?

Yes, I did.

We're just, just...

Hold on.

What?

Hold on.

Cool, Mama: no more church office.

Well, I'll see what it feels like tomorrow morning:

no more church office work and nothing to do.

Yes, an Augustiner beer, please.

Our upcoming holiday should be good.

Yes, I'm looking forward to it.

What about my brother? Is he coming, too?

Yes, he's coming.

I haven't heard otherwise, so I expect him to be there.

Ah, cool. I'm looking forward to it.

Me, too. If he really comes.

What?

I'm looking forward to the sea.

When we're there, I'll show you the house we used to live in.

What did you say? I didn't catch that.

I'll show you the house we used to live in.

Oh yeah, cool.

Let's do that. I'm curious to see it.

Theresa?

Are you coming?

And we came here every Sunday, no matter the weather?

We really came in any weather.

It never stopped us.

When it was too cold,

you two obviously didn't go into the water.

But Max often went in anyway with his rubber boots.

And, of course, sometimes water poured in from the top

There was no holding him back.

Typical.

It's hardly changed at all.

Only the colour has changed a bit.

One huge tree out front wasn't there back then.

That window over there strikes me as familiar.

Isn't there a picture of you holding me in your arms?

We used to stand there when Dad left for work.

Max was usually down at the front door, waving goodbye.

Dad took that picture at one point.

We had a beautiful,

quiet and very normal family life here.

How do you feel now, standing in front of it?

The house is now a symbol

of something missing in my or in our life.

Dad simply isn't here any more.

It's here that

I spent a wonderful time with him.

And the two of you.

And it's really sinking in right now

that that time is gone

and won't return.

Fear of abandonment.

You want to be down-to-earth

and in control, because you fear being abandoned.

Good gracious!

And you fear deception and danger.

Well...

I don't know... It does fit.

OK, what has inhibited you up until now?

Wait a sec.

Guys,

Max just texted me he won't be able to come.

And why?

I'll ask him, wait.

He says their airport shut down because of the ongoing protests.

He doesn't know for how long.

Mama? Are you coming?

People there are fighting for their freedom.

I think they'll be returned to China in some 30 years.

Dear Max will have a lot to report on the next time he joins us.

I suspect two worlds will collide the next time he turns up.

But he's your brother, not a problem.

Well, my brother has failed to show up for three years.

Come on.

What?

He's right in doing what's best for him. I mean, you moved to Berlin.

As if you could compare Berlin and Hong Kong.

They're both far away.

As soon as the kids were in bed, we set it up.

Luckily, the balustrade was just high enough

for us to sit up there topless.

You're right.

I wouldn't usually have dared, but under these circumstances...

Oh, the golden evening sun! So Nordic.

True, it shined beautifully.

A gorgeous light.

But I have to admit many things have changed.

The little forest path mutated into a big street.

Paved, widened.

Remember the little guest houses? They were more like shacks.

Our longing eyes! If only we had one of those, right down on the beach.

You're right. I remember them.

Now they're fancy holiday homes.

Times change.

The universities have been modernized, too.

I felt the same way

on my cycling trip with Theresa today.

I barely recognized anything.

I was a bit worried this trip might make you sad.

It would've made me sad.

What if I asked where you feel at home?

A sense of home?

I don't really have that.

I live in the Black Forest.

But I wouldn't call it home,

despite living there for such a long time now.

Good night, Anke.

Good night, Susi.

What happened there?

Styrofoam beads

from the stupid beanbag.

Leave them, Mama. We'll get the vacuum.

Welcome to "Wave Tai Chi by the Beach". It's a pleasure to have you.

Let us gently get your body moving.

Now is the time for your inner balance.

Straighten up your body, feet shoulder-width apart.

Gently pull up your sternum.

Let your shoulders fall sideways and downwards.

Gentle tapping can remind you of your upright stance.

Raise your lower arms to your stomach.

Rotate your hands inwardly.

Rotating your hands, you'll feel your neck muscles relax.

Now reverse the direction of rotation.

Yes, please?

No, not interested.

Goodbye.

One of the organizers of the protest rally, Michael Gan, rejected this.

The rights to freedom of speech and assembly

do not contradict political neutrality.

Gan works at the Hong Kong employment office.

The involvement of civil servants shows that the mass anti-government protests

have now mobilized large parts of Hong Kong's population.

It's tough.

If I flew back on Thursday, I'd only be there for three days.

It's OK, right?

Well, I'll manage a few days.

As long as I can get into your flat.

My building has a doorman. Ring his bell and he'll give you the key.

He's got the key. OK, good.

You'll arrive late, but just buzz.

He's almost always there.

A really nice guy.

And what's the general situation over there?

More or less under control, I'd say.

Bye, Mama. Take care, my girl.

Will do. Bye. Bye.

We only have a shared room. Shared?

Okay. I'll take it.

Passport please.

Please.

Thank you.

Room is down the corridor.

You pay tomorrow morning.

Thank you very much.

Goodnight. Goodnight.

Sorry.

Did you have a good day?

I arrived today in Hong Kong.

That's a strange time to come.

You know there's protests on, right?

Yes, I've heard.

They actually happen right down there on the street.

They tend to kick off in the afternoon, so you...

better stay safe.

Are you travelling?

I'm visiting my son.

Nice. Does he live here?

Aren't we a bit too loud?

That's just my friend. She's passed out.

I'm sorry if it smells like alcohol.

Not much. It's our last night.

I've actually been here for quite a while.

I didn't like it when I first got here.

Too hectic.

Too hot.

Too bright.

But when you look beyond all that, it's actually pretty beautiful here.

The people are kind.

I tried to find a job.

So I could stay.

It didn't really work out.

Eventually I ran out of money.

Around the same time the protests started.

It's funny how things coincide.

Coincide?

How they're all linked.

They say it's going to be quite different here in five years' time.

I don't really know if I want to be here for that.

Sorry. That's my story.

Your story is just beginning.

How can I help you? I'm visiting my son.

He lives in one of your apartments.

His name is Maximilian Johnssen.

It's Max.

Please wait a moment. I can get the key for you.

Thank you.

The key card. Thank you.

Your unit is 22B.

Thank you.

How can I help you?

I'm really hungry now.

Do you know where I can find something to eat?

My friend has Chinese food. Would you like to try?

Yes, I think so.

Already lunch time. Maybe I will come with you?

Sorry? Maybe I come with you to go for lunch?

That's very kind of you.

Thank you.

Give me five minutes. I'll take some things.

Okay, let's go.

This way.

This way.

The protests are on the main road.

You use chopsticks very good. I try.

Do you know Max well?

Max? Yeah, my good friend.

Nice.

Do you do tai chi?

Like the Chinese kung fu?

Sometimes I do it.

I saw some people do it in the morning.

In Germany not many do it, but I just started lessons.

Really? Yes.

It's good for health. Yeah, it is.

Do you do it in the morning in the park?

Sometimes I do it.

Do you think I could come with you some morning?

In the morning?

No problem. That's very kind.

Thank you very much.

Sorry about that. I go back to the office. Working.

You go yourself, okay?

Don't worry, I will find my way.

Thank you very much. Take care.

Thank you, bye-bye.

Say 2pm?

Would that be fine for you?

That works for me.

Okay, good.

Thank you very much.

I'll see you then.

Sorry.

I'm here to clean.

No problem.

Please take a seat. Thank you.

I think written diagnosis is anxiety depression.

What do you know about them?

Not very much. I see.

We also get anxious.

And then we get depressed from time to time.

But if these two conditions last for a significant long period

and affect the person's functioning,

then we call it a disorder.

And any disorder can be dealt with in so many ways.

We do not know the exact causes of anxiety and depression.

But we have effective ways of managing them.

A quick way would be to reduce the symptoms

through the use of medications.

Which I did.

I prescribed some...

medicine which lowers his anxiety.

And I prescribed some medication which, you know, to...

reduce his, you know, depressive mood.

Get him to feel better and think more efficiently.

And both medications worked for him.

Medications help.

But not entirely.

You know, other methods of approach

like supporting him, counselling him, listening to his problems.

And helping him to change his way of living,

his way of working, etc., etc., are also important.

He was seven years old when his father died.

Maybe he got a trauma.

And that appears now to him.

We don't know.

As I said, we do not know

what causes anxiety and depression,

except that these two conditions are becoming more and more common.

Especially in city living.

People say that the incidence of anxiety depression

is five times more common

compared to 40, 50 years ago.

Do you want to try fortune reading?

Be seated. I can translate for you.

So what kind of fortune reading do you want?

I have no idea.

I suggest you try the life reading.

And then you tell the fortune teller your birthday and the hour that you were born.

He says that you were born in 1960, July 4th.

In the evening, around 7 o'clock.

And according to this information,

you belong to the fate of water.

You know, water...

In our universe, according to fortune reading, there are five elements.

Water, fire, metal, soil and wood.

So you belong to water. And what does it mean?

It means that you have... You're a noble person.

You are being respected by many people.

At the same time, what your weakest point is: your lack of wood.

And what does it mean?

Your children will fly away and fight for their future

and leave you alone at home.

But there's one thing you can do to compensate this.

You move and live near the forest.

And also he says, you belong to water,

so he advises you drink more water and that is good for your health.

Do you know if there will be protests tonight?

Maybe in Wan Chai or Central.

So where do you stay?

I'm staying in Wan Chai.

I see.

I live in Hong Kong Island.

If you like, I can go with you.

Yes, sure.

Let's go together.

How do you know him?

He's my primary school classmate.

Sometimes we meet and have a chat.

And what do you do?

I'm now a retired art teacher.

I used to paint.

Now I've become a social activist.

I've only been a housewife.

And when my husband died

I started working for the church.

And now I'm retired too.

So he wasn't always correct?

No, he wasn't.

So now that you are retired, do you still pray?

Yes, I pray in the mornings.

I pray to be strong enough to cope

with whatever happens to me.

And I never pray to ask for things not to happen.

Do you also have children?

Yeah, I have one son.

He's now in Shanghai.

Working as an engineer.

His wife is also from Shanghai.

They come to Hong Kong to see me every Chinese New Year.

I miss my son very much.