70
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11
3
2
2
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2
1
1
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5
Hero was a film written and directed by three women telling the stories of three different women during the early days of the pandemic. The pandemic and its memorable ability to grind people down, revealed cracks in relationships and yet also strengthened the ties that bind in others.
(1) Shen Yue and her family live in Wuhan. Her recently widowed mother-in-law moved in and clings to her son and grandson, while always finding fault with Yue. When Yue develops a fever she follows the Covid guidelines and goes to the hospital suited up from headed to toe in protective gear. Turned away due to overcrowding she is sent home where her MIL decides she must quarantine elsewhere so as not to make the men in the family sick. The city goes on lockdown trapping the women together. Their difficult relationship serves to highlight the sense of isolation each of them feels.
(2) Xiao Lu has returned to Beijing in order to share an uncomfortable birthday with her family. Her boyfriend of 4 years and their cat stayed behind in Wuhan. The two lovers intend to marry, yet Xiao Lu hasn’t been courageous enough to tell her parents, who keep trying to set her up with someone else. Zhao Hua falls sick just as the lockdown is initiated. Desperate to be with him, Xiao Lu is devastated to be separated with no means of seeing him other than by phone. Zhao is isolated, dealing with his illness alone. Despite being circled by friends and family, Xiao Lu feels the pain of every minute away from Zhao.
(3) Chelsea works as a photographer for a Hong Kong newspaper while estranged husband Darren is a photojournalist. She records the problems of empty shelves, businesses closing, and people suffering in isolation. Darren is nearly always too busy to visit the children, a constant thorn in Chelsea’s side. When their child becomes sick the interminable wait for test results stokes the lingering resentments between the parents.
All three stories dealt with the difficulties from lockdowns and food/medical supply shortages. The cruelest isolation was saved for patients in the hospital who were cut off from loved ones, only able to communicate via their cellphone. For me that was one of the worst pandemic memories, people dying without their loved ones around them. The first story was melodramatic and had a rushed resolution. I have to admit I still found it satisfying. The second story was more polished and reminded us that Covid didn’t show mercy for any age group. Because the relationship was shown a la distance, I wasn’t as connected to the characters as much as I would have liked. The third story I found to be more irritating. Chelsea had a Filipino housekeeper who was loyal and kind. Chelsea’s mother declared that Filipino maids couldn’t be trusted and Luanna's days off should be curtailed. Aside from being blatantly racist the practice proposed dangled pretty close to slave labor. The third story’s emphasis on traditional female responsibilities irked me quite a lot. Xiao Lu’s segment was the singular story to not have either a mama’s boy or one that seemed to want a mother taking care of everything.
Each story in Hero had something interesting to offer as the women had to deal with the pandemic’s double whammy of illness and logistical problems in addition to navigating the difficult relationships in their lives. 7.25 On a coin flip, I bumped it down to 7.0. Though flawed I don’t regret watching it.
7 September 2025
(1) Shen Yue and her family live in Wuhan. Her recently widowed mother-in-law moved in and clings to her son and grandson, while always finding fault with Yue. When Yue develops a fever she follows the Covid guidelines and goes to the hospital suited up from headed to toe in protective gear. Turned away due to overcrowding she is sent home where her MIL decides she must quarantine elsewhere so as not to make the men in the family sick. The city goes on lockdown trapping the women together. Their difficult relationship serves to highlight the sense of isolation each of them feels.
(2) Xiao Lu has returned to Beijing in order to share an uncomfortable birthday with her family. Her boyfriend of 4 years and their cat stayed behind in Wuhan. The two lovers intend to marry, yet Xiao Lu hasn’t been courageous enough to tell her parents, who keep trying to set her up with someone else. Zhao Hua falls sick just as the lockdown is initiated. Desperate to be with him, Xiao Lu is devastated to be separated with no means of seeing him other than by phone. Zhao is isolated, dealing with his illness alone. Despite being circled by friends and family, Xiao Lu feels the pain of every minute away from Zhao.
(3) Chelsea works as a photographer for a Hong Kong newspaper while estranged husband Darren is a photojournalist. She records the problems of empty shelves, businesses closing, and people suffering in isolation. Darren is nearly always too busy to visit the children, a constant thorn in Chelsea’s side. When their child becomes sick the interminable wait for test results stokes the lingering resentments between the parents.
All three stories dealt with the difficulties from lockdowns and food/medical supply shortages. The cruelest isolation was saved for patients in the hospital who were cut off from loved ones, only able to communicate via their cellphone. For me that was one of the worst pandemic memories, people dying without their loved ones around them. The first story was melodramatic and had a rushed resolution. I have to admit I still found it satisfying. The second story was more polished and reminded us that Covid didn’t show mercy for any age group. Because the relationship was shown a la distance, I wasn’t as connected to the characters as much as I would have liked. The third story I found to be more irritating. Chelsea had a Filipino housekeeper who was loyal and kind. Chelsea’s mother declared that Filipino maids couldn’t be trusted and Luanna's days off should be curtailed. Aside from being blatantly racist the practice proposed dangled pretty close to slave labor. The third story’s emphasis on traditional female responsibilities irked me quite a lot. Xiao Lu’s segment was the singular story to not have either a mama’s boy or one that seemed to want a mother taking care of everything.
Each story in Hero had something interesting to offer as the women had to deal with the pandemic’s double whammy of illness and logistical problems in addition to navigating the difficult relationships in their lives. 7.25 On a coin flip, I bumped it down to 7.0. Though flawed I don’t regret watching it.
7 September 2025
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