Roger Leung, an unmarried middle aged Hong Kong film producer, lives with Chung Chun-to, a maidservant who has worked for his family for decades. Returning home after a business trip, Roger discovers Chung on the floor and calls for an ambulance. At the hospital, Roger discovers that Chung has had a stroke but rather than ask for rehabilitation, Chung decides she wants to retire and asks to be put in a nursing home. While looking for a nursing home, Roger discovers one nearby that is owned by his friend. He installs Chung there and visits her in between his production jobs. While visiting To, he tells her friends and neighbours that he is her god son in order to explain their connection. Visiting Chung in the nursing home allows Roger to become closer to her. Eventually, other members of his family, who mostly live abroad, come to visit her. Roger's mother proposes that they renovate an old apartment that the family owns and allow To to spend the remainder of her days there. However, Chung grows more sickly and suffers a second stroke causing her condition to deteriorate and nullifying the family's plans for her. Eventually, Chung is hospitalized a final time and Roger makes the decision to allow her to die. At her funeral, the members of Roger's family pay their respects to her and while Roger delivers the eulogy, a man from the nursing home comes to give her flowers.
Production
Producer Roger Lee began writing loose fragments together and showed them to director Ann Hui. She persuaded him it was enough for a screenplay and encouraged him through his writing process. Andy Lau and Deanie Ip were chosen in part because of their close relationship to one another as Ip is Lau's godmother and had already played his mother in several films.
Cast
Andy Lau as Roger Leung, a film producer
Deanie Ip as Sister Peach / Chung Chun-to, a servant
Tam Ping-man as himself, a visitor of the nursing home
Eva Lai as himself, a visitor of the nursing home
Kung Suet-fa as the nursing home receptionist
Queenie Chu as the receptionist at investment bank
Tyson Chak as Air-con fixer at investment bank
Hiromi Wada as visiting singer of the nursing home
Angelababy as herself, one of the guests at film premier
John Shum as himself, one of the guests at film premier
Stanley Kwan as himself, one of the guests at film premier
Andrew Lau as himself, one of the guests at film premier
Box office
In China, after being shown for only four days, the film made US$5.2 million and reached second place in the top gross film of the week ending 11 March 2012.
Critical reception
gave the film 4 stars. He wrote, "It expresses hope in human nature. It is one of the year's best films." Hollywood Reporter 's Neil Young wrote that "Film festivals looking for undemanding crowd-pleasers will want to check it out, even at its currently excessive 118-minute running time – much too long for what is indeed a pretty "simple" affair." Variety 's Justin Chang commented: "Fittingly for a film about the challenges and rewards of looking after the sick and aging, this well-observed, pleasantly meandering dramedy requires a measure of patience, and some judicious trimming would improve its chances for export. But the moving, never tearjerking lead performances by Andy Lau and Deanie Ip are strong selling points for Hui's following at home and abroad."
Top ten lists
The film has appeared on the following critics' top ten lists for the best films of 2012:
Critic
Publication
Rank
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
10th
Awards and nominations
''My 30 Work Days''
The book, My 30 Work Days, was written by Andy Lau extracted from diaries and notes that he wrote while shooting the A Simple Life. The book contains Lau's 30 personal diaries and notes detailing his observations and thoughts about issues raised by the story of the film, in particular appreciation of and care for the elderly, along with 300 behind the scene photographs taken by Lau and his colleagues. The book was published on 27 February 2017 by Ming Pao Publications in Hong Kong.
