Film Name: 没有老公的日子 / Tragic Commitment / 沒有老公的日子
First off, I didn’t finish watching this movie. I fast-forwarded through the rest, so I don’t know what techniques the film used to whitewash that mistress (from the visuals, did she die of a terminal illness or something?). But I feel that no matter how they later portray her as adorable and kind, how deeply in love she was with Zhang Zhilin, or how miserable her life was before—she still acted outrageously. Calling her a bitch wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
From the scenes I saw, the mistress’s father wasn’t exactly a responsible parent—probably why her personality became so twisted. Anyway, she started an affair with a married man and got pregnant by him. Since I didn’t watch the rest, I don’t know if she seduced Cheung Chi-lam first or vice versa, but either way, she knew her boyfriend was married. Doesn’t she feel even a shred of guilt for destroying someone else’s family? (Maybe later scenes show it, but from what I saw, the mistress’s arrogance doesn’t exactly scream guilt.)
Of course, I’m not placing all the blame on the mistress. I oppose extramarital affairs. Marriage is a commitment between two people. Once married, they form a family and can’t just do as they please. Arranged marriages or marriages without love are a different matter. So, Zhang Zhilin isn’t exactly a saint either, but he died early on and never showed up in the conflict.
Before Zhang Zhilin died (Honestly, his death was pretty pathetic… no wonder he fell for that kind of woman…) he confessed to his wife and mother that he had an affair and that the mistress was pregnant. This put Anita Yuen in a terrible position. The mother-in-law would naturally prioritize her son: since her daughter-in-law had no children, the mistress’s child would still be her grandson, so she wouldn’t side with Anita. And that’s exactly what happened.
When Anita confronted her, the mistress was incredibly arrogant. Logically, she shouldn’t have been so brazen, but that’s just how ruthless she was—what can you do? After hearing about Zhang Zhilin’s death, she refused to believe it, dragging her even more despicable friend to Zhang Zhilin’s home.
The mother-in-law, desperate for a grandchild, let the cat out of the bag early on. The mistress knew she held the trump card. So she signed the agreement, and the mother-in-law brought the mistress to live in the house.
This is where I just don’t get it. Even if both the mistress and the wife were saintly figures, living under the same roof would inevitably lead to conflict… Why couldn’t you just get an apartment for the mistress to live in?
For Yuen Wing-yee, it would have been better to just walk away. As an OB-GYN, you must earn well—why not leave and spare yourself the misery? Let your mother-in-law and the mistress happily raise the grandchild together. How perfect.
After moving in, the mistress began her series of outrageous antics:
During meals, she’d fight Yuen Wing-yee for food… . Let’s chalk that up to poor manners or self-preservation. Later that meal, she shoved the serving spoon straight into her mouth. When Yuen Yung-yi said a few words, she stormed off—same thing. Frankly, I find no charm whatsoever in such behavior. Call me jealous if you can’t stomach it.
Later, when Yuen Wing-Yee was reminiscing about her husband, playing his harmonica while lying in bed, the mistress barged into her room, clapped her hands, and mocked her. Yuen snapped back, “Don’t you have manners? Don’t you know to knock before entering someone’s room?” The mistress then left, knocked, re-entered, tossed a coin at Yuen Wing-Yee, and declared, “You paid to see the show. That’s all you’re worth.”
Watching this, I began to deeply despise this woman. Lacking manners and politeness—you might say she had little education, came from a poor family background, or carried inner suffering. Or if you have masochistic tendencies, you could gaze at her with starry eyes and say, “That’s just her being genuine.” But what the mistress did in that scene was completely beyond anything a kind person who understands others’ pain would ever do. Yes, your boyfriend died. But consider her: she lost her husband, endured the blow of his betrayal, and now must watch the mistress running about her home. Comparing their suffering is pointless, but as human beings, we must strive to understand others and avoid causing harm. The mistress deliberately provoked and wounded Anita Yuen—regardless of her motives, this was wrong, it was malicious. A kind person wouldn’t act this way.
Later, when Yuen Yung-yi heard piano music, she thought it was her husband’s spirit returning, only to discover it was the mistress playing. After an argument, the mother-in-law and mistress began playing piano and singing together, enjoying themselves immensely. I have nothing more to say—the mother-in-law would never side with Yuen Yung-yi, as I’ve already stated.
Then they had to examine the mistress, and it was actually Yuen Wing-yee doing it… I’m speechless. Couldn’t they find another doctor? Is this even reasonable!!! The screenwriter really came up with this.
When Yuen Wing-yee returned home, she saw the mistress and her husband’s photo hanging on the wall. The mistress had barged into her room and was playing the harmonica. Yuen Yung-yi flew into a rage, snatching the harmonica. During the struggle, the mistress’s lip was cut. Enraged, the mistress fought back, and in the heat of the moment, Yuen Yung-yi kicked her in the stomach.
Of course, there was no miscarriage. Though I think a miscarriage would have made the plot more novel. The mistress stormed off angrily. The mother-in-law also prepared to leave. Yuen Yung-yi had a minor outburst, saying things like, “You completely ignore my existence now.” The mother-in-law then repented and apologized to Yuen Yung-yi. Riding this wave of reconciliation, Yuen Yung-yi switched into full Mother Teresa mode, declaring she would go find the mistress and bring her back. (And then they all lived together happily ever after—wife, mistress, mother-in-law, maid, and baby, forming a blissful family~~~)
I forced myself to watch a bit more. Basically, the mistress’s dad treated her terribly, but he still loved her (though honestly, I think her dad’s got issues). I fast-forwarded before Yuen Yung-yi found the mistress.
I stuck with it this long just hoping the wife would finally snap. Turns out she’s a total letdown. I can’t fathom why she puts up with it.
They say “three women make a drama,” but this plot has zero originality, and the characters aren’t remotely likable. Women’s drama? To me, it feels like they’re promoting nothing but feudal nonsense. I honestly don’t know why they even made this movie—it’s not entertaining, it’s not profound, and its values are seriously skewed. I regret not watching “God of Gamblers” with my mom instead.
Please specify：Anime Phone Cases » Tragic Commitment 1995 Film Review: I don’t understand what it’s trying to say.