Floating Life

Despite earlier misgivings, China's takeover of Hong Kong disturbed comparatively few indigenous families. This modest Australian film tells the story of one elderly couple who decide to uproot and join their daughter (Annie Yip) in Sydney, where she has assimilated herself. On their arrival, she bombards them with tales of the "perils" of Australian life, as though they were not bewildered enough. When her eldest daughter and her family, who had settled in Germany, also consider moving, confusion heightens. A nicely observed and occasionally poignant piece of work, it entertainingly depicts a small-scale human dilemma, but ultimately is well meaning rather than distinguished.