MovieChat Forums > Shan he gu ren (2015) Discussion > HOW did the son, Dollar, become so estra...

HOW did the son, Dollar, become so estranged from his mother?


How did the estrangement, between mother and only son, come about?

Was that ever made clear, in the film?

Thank you very much for any help you can be to me.



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It wasn't explicitly explained, but we can presume that after the scene where Tao gives Dollar the house keys on the train, he never saw her again.

Also, in keeping with the dick-ish nature of Dollar's dad, he probably actively discouraged any contact between Dollar and his mom as Dollar was growing up.

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It wasn't explicitly explained, but we can presume that after the scene where Tao gives Dollar the house keys on the train, he never saw her again.

Phew!
What you wrote was exactly my "take" on what happened.
And, I thought I had missed something because I dozed off for a second or two.
Phew!
Yeah, the Dad was a piece of work wasn't he? I didn't care for the Character but I did think the actor acted superbly.

** There MUST be more than one way to skin this Cat! **

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Yep, this was one of the more straight forward part of the film.


Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down and a Wagging Finger of Shame

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It was stated she lost the court battle and the father took full custody over him. I think while the father did not prevent Dollar to see his mother while he was little, they lived far away and Tao probably think it was for the best the boy experiences wealthy lifestyle rather than a poorer upbringing he would have with her. Plus the father looked like a bully a bit.

And then with his new wife and son they moved to Australia, where Dollar was sent to school where he spoke English, and got so immersed he was not even talking to his father anymore (hence the father, who clearly did not learn English, hanging around with other migrants, could not communicate with him). Seems like Dollar has never set foot in China again since the move, did not speak the language anymore and never saw the mother again.

In the beginning there was nothing, and it exploded.

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Was the rationale made that clear? I thought it was left up in the air why Dollar went to live with the bullying father. I thought it was left up to the viewer to decide how the custody came about.

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Well, he got full custody, that was clear to me. He did come back for his grandfather's funeral when he was seven. But, shortly after that he moved to Melbourne with his father and step-mother.

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This said, still I thought that the reasons why Dollar (talk about a movie-cute name!) became estranged from his Mum were a bit ambiguous.
And, why live with that crusty dad, anyway?
The mother seemed to be more of a parent to the boy.

** There MUST be more than one way to skin this Cat! **

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It was not up to the son to decide where he is gonna live and later he aint gonna choose China over clean Australia. There is no way that dirty *beep* (I lived there so please no lectures) is gonna be clean in 2025 (maybe on official figures provided by scummy gov).

The best - Fight Club, American Beauty & Falling Down.

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Just to share some cultural background. In China, the custody typically goes to the party with the higher earning power, unlike in the US. The rationale is that the best outcome for the kid is to live with the parent that makes the most so they could provide a comfortable upbringing.

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