These Shoes Weren’t Made for Walking

The filmmaker documents the lives of four women in his family, using their shoes as a common reference and as a springboard for thoughtful and provocative contemplations about their experiences. These four women (paternal grandmother, mother, paternal aunt, sister) recount and discuss the cultural and socio-economic forces that have shaped their lives. From the four-inch “golden lotus” embroidered silk sandals designed to fit my great-grandmother’s bound feet during the Ching Dynasty in Imperial China, to the tennis shoes and Italian leather pumps sported by my career-minded chartered accountant sister, the poignant stories behind their shoes are revealed. The film ends with the speculations of these four women about their future as they walk along this crossroad, where the British Crown Colony will revert back to Communist Chinese rule in 1997. To where will they take their shoes next? In English and Cantonese with English sub-titles.