Blind Massage (推拿)

Shaanxi Culture Industry Investment Holdings (Group) Co.,

Ltd Shaanxi Culture Industry (Film & TV) Yinhai Investment Co., Ltd Present

Produced by Wong Yong Chief Executive Producer Li Anjun

with

a Dream Factory and Les Film du Lendemain Production

The story begins with a young boy named Xiao Ma,

on an evening many years ago

when a smear of light

left him unconscious.

It was the last light Xiao Ma would ever see.

From then on it was as though he was in an endless night,

surrounded by the scent of shadows.

A car accident had taken his eyes and his mother,

leaving him blind

in a world filled with sound.

Everyone told Xiao Ma

that it was only temporary,

that with time he would heal...

that he would see again.

Believing them,

Xiao Ma waited for that day to come.

A long time passed

before he finally realized

that everyone had deceived him,

that it all was just a lie.

That will be the end of his life.

As a father,

you should tell him the truth.

Doctor,

we've been to every hospital in China,

You're our last hope!

Xiao Ma, what are you doing here?

Are you eating, Auntie?

Have you eaten?

I've got some here. Have some.

Come, Xiao Ma.

Take it.

Take your time.

Doctor! Help!

Quick! Call someone!

Get a doctor!

Help!

Hurry!

After that,

Xiao Ma was sent to a school for the blind.

There, everyone was just like him.

He had many friends and classmates,

learned Braille,

how to walk,

how to overcome obstacles.

And how to live among normal people.

He also learned the art of massage.

As with any blind massage student,

after graduation

Xiao Ma was placed at a massage treatment center.

He didn't know

that his luck was about to change...

The name of the center was Sha Zongqi.

There were two bosses.

One was named Zhang Zongqi.

He lost his sight as a child in a medical accident.

He always had a lot of clients,

and was a very serious man.

The other boss, Sha Fuming, was different,

always drawing attention to himself.

Besides Chinese medicine and massage,

he had a lot of other interests.

It was a time when those who worked hard made money.

It was also the golden age of blind massage.

Boss Sha!

It's Xiao Xiang.

It's Xiao Xiang.

This is Boss Sha.

Xiao Xiang.

- Boss Sha, good to see you. - Hello!

Boss Sha, have a seat.

Boss Sha, may I ask your full name?

Please don't call me Boss Sha.

My name is Sha Fuming.

Sha as in sand,

Fu as in recovering,

Ming as in light.

Just call me Brother Fuming.

Ok, ok.

Brother Fuming.

And you?

Can you tell?

I can't read characters.

I don't believe it.

You're illiterate?

Not illiterate,

I just can't read characters.

I read Braille.

It's a relatively new language.

It was created by a man named Huang.

Huang Nai.

Having a language like Braille

is like giving sight to the blind.

Many of us have become teachers,

even writers and musicians.

For me, Braille...

Go on, go on,

we're listening.

Have some more.

You taught yourself?

Yes, self-taught.

Also poetry...

- Xiao Xiang knows. - Yes, I know.

I also study poetry.

I wouldn't say study.

Seems you're quite well-read.

I like San Mao.

Hai Zi too.

Sorry. I'm sorry.

It's fine, no problem.

Hello, Boss Sha!

How's business?

No one's starving.

Sorry sir, who's calling?

Sir?

Since when have I been 'sir'?

It's Lao Wang, from school.

What? How's Shenzhen?

Don't talk to me about Shenzhen.

You've got it good. I don't know where my next meal's coming from.

I'm hoping there's room at an old classmate's table.

You're kidding.

I'm serious.

I'm here in Nanjing.

If it's ok,

I'd like to come and work for you.

If not...

I'll think of something.

But I've got another mouth to feed.

You old dog!

How are her eyes?

A little better than mine.

You really are a dog.

See you tomorrow!

Ok.

Kong,

we'll take a look tomorrow.

If it's ok, we can start the next day.

Great. Whatever you like.

I thought he sounded pretty good.

It's a great learning opportunity.

Why do you think we're here?

To find our daughter a partner,

not a teacher.

Can't he be both?

Excuse me!

Mom!

See you later!

Sha Fuming's attempts to find a partner failed again.

But he didn't give up.

In that moment

he found something more important than a wife.

The 'mainstream society'.

The blind have a strong belief

that the world of the sighted is mainstream society.

After the harvest

on the deserted land,

the people had taken a year's worth of crops.

They took the grain.

They took the horses.

A Lou Ye Film

BLIND MASSAGE

Based on the novel Massage by Bi Feiyu

Written by

Ma Yingli

Director of Photography

Zeng Jian

Sound Designer

Fu Kang

Production Designer

Du Ailin

Music Composed by

Jóhann Jóhannsson

Editors

Kong Jinlei

Zhu Lin

Producers

Nai An

Li Ling

Directed by

Lou Ye

featuring

Guo Xiaodong

Qin Hao

Zhang Lei

Mei Ting

and Huang Xuan

Huang Lu

Jiang Dan

with Han Zhiyou

Huang Junjun

Wang Zhihua

Mu Huaipeng

Sun Ke

as the co-stars