All language subtitles for Our.Time.Machine.2019.CHINESE.1080p.WEBRip.x265-VXT

Dear Child,

How should I introduce you
to this beautiful world?

He Guan, can you find that box
with bowling pins and glasses?

And a pair of giant
glasses that are

bigger than the rabbit's head.

Give me another one.

It's too low!
The position is off!

Shake your head.

Slower.

That's good.

A couple more times, then stop.

Rabbit, stop!

The artist's name is Maleonn.

Let me introduce my new project.

It's a piece of puppet theater.

I didn't have many
books growing up,

but I remember when my father
gave me "Pinocchio."

I loved this story as a kid.

A puppet becoming a real person.
So romantic!

These are my parents.

A Nationalist general
and a female special agent.

And this one,
they're panicking on a plane.

Especially my dad's face.

They are both theater
professionals,

so they got into
character quickly.

Also this one.

Why am I showing you these?

The project I'm working on now,
it's about them.

Director Ma,

what do you think?

Look at these tears in my eyes.

My young compatriots,
you kick ass!

You guys are doing great!

Take care! Work hard!

See you next time.

Hi, Mom.

What the heck is this?

Steamed corn bread.

Made from ground maize.

It's hard to keep them from
falling apart.

I think it's pretty delicious.

So tasty.

Famous director!

Doesn't matter, I still
get yelled at by my wife.

I try to enlighten him.
He calls it "yelling."

- Educational critiques.
- Critical education.

- I guide him.
- It's good for you.

On stage you are the director.
In life you can use guidance.

She needs to give you guidance.
You'd be lost without it.

Your mother gives me guidance.

Sounds like you
want to guide me too.

Follow the guidance
of the Communist Party.

Not mine!

I was the scariest director at

the Shanghai Chinese
Opera Theater.

When we rehearsed,
no one dared

to not give 100% on stage.

I needed to crack the whip!
Like the sargeant at boot camp.

That's why I was able to direct
more than 80 Chinese operas.

I feel the responsibility
to share what I know.

I am writing a book about my
life's work in Peking Opera.

These are the drafts
I'm working on.

I'd like to get this done
in the next few months.

Director Ma,

you staged 80 plus shows
in your career.

Could you look back
and share with us

your experience as a
Peking Opera director?

I thought, How odd, this
great director in Beijing,

how come he only
did 40 productions?

I directed 80 in Shanghai.

I was nowhere near as good
as those masters.

Why don't you tell us
your concepts

on costumes, scenery,
and lighting?

We want more creative details.

He keeps talking about
logistical stuff,

but not about art.

They want to know how
he made creative decisions.

It's no good.

He doesn't remember.
Doesn't remember.

One night, I was swimming.

My dad showed up by the pool.

He asked me, "Hey, can you
float on water?"

"Sure, Dad," I said. "You taught
me this when I was a kid."

I showed him, and
floated on my back.

I swam another lap,
and he stopped and asked,

"Maleonn, can you
float on water?"

I thought it was odd
that he asked again.

I answered, "Yes."

After the third lap,
he asked again,

"Can you float on water?"

Five times total.

Can you tell me the date?

Well... it doesn't matter
to me... I don’t know.

What's today?

The day... I don't know.

Well, it's the day
for my doctor's visit.

I laid in the pool, stared
at the sky full of stars,

and thought about the project
I promised my father.

Dear Child,

There comes a moment
when we must grow up.

We suddenly realize that forever
does not exist in this world.

We've always known
that sense of helplessness.

Except now, we finally
understand what it means.

And then what?

China National Radio.
The Arts and Culture Hour.

What’s the story of the play?

Our play has two main
characters:

the father and the son.

The father is losing his memory,

and the son is sad
to see him confused.

The son builds a
time machine so he can bring

the father back to his childhood
when he was five or ten.

They go back again and again

to revisit moments
in their lives.

When you grow older, you see
your father growing older.

Things in your life change
drastically, as if someone

swapped them when you
weren’t paying attention.

So being a father motivates you?

I'm not a father yet...

- From a son's perspective then?
- Yes, as a son.

We are the welcoming committee.

I brought a copy
of the play for you.

Alright, thank you.

No dialogue in the play.

Just music.

I would love to get
your feedback.

I'll call you with questions.

This spot? Right here?

The angle here...
the shape looks great.

One more dish and
we are ready to eat.

Oh crap! Damn it!

You made the scariest noise!

Today is my parents'
anniversary!

Together more than
half a century! Amazing!

We haven't gotten
the pictures yet!

You inherited your
father's tone-deafness.

He never sang Peking Opera
to me when I was a kid.

You never taught me to sing.
I learned it from someone else.

These are all the
parts for the body?

Yes, including bolts and screws.

Large puppets all have
issues with the hand.

I want more innovative
ways to operate it.

For now, the hand
is our biggest issue.

The hand is more complicated
than we imagined.

For about ten years,
I lived in my studio.

My studio is full of puppets.

I created them.

I gave them life.

I create work every day. I don't
have any personal life.

After turning 40, something went
wrong with my art practice.

I am still trying
to figure it out.

Dear Child,

my father once told me a story

about a man named Jiang.

One night, Jiang has a dream.

A wise immortal gives
him a pen in the dream.

After he wakes up, he can
suddenly write brilliant prose.

Years later, Jiang
has another dream.

The immortal says, “Please give
me back the pen.”

After that, he could
no longer write.

I am scared that someday,
someone is going to

ask for my pen back.

We're here. Hi, Auntie!

Hi, Auntie. Long time no see!
Long time!

- You look well.
Are you doing well?

- Yes, yes.

How many years since the last
time you came here with me?

20 years, about.

1994.

After I left here in '94,
I cut my hair.

After '94 I went bald,
just like Dad. I lost my hair.

During the Sino-Japanese War,
I was seven.

We came back during the war,
to see how things were.

My grandpa lived here.

There used to be
a house at this spot.

It's been decades
since I've been back.

Coming back to my hometown...

I get emotional
just thinking about it.

We hope you are well
in the afterlife.

We are working hard.
We are serving the people.

We are making our lives count.

Before my brother was born,

they were immersed
in their own creative work.

To me, it was like...

the political situation
suddenly turned worse.

I remember an
unsettling feeling...

like a dark cloud
was approaching.

My husband was persecuted
during the Cultural Revolution.

We artists didn't know
what was in store for us.

We were grateful
just to be alive.

We didn't dare
to talk about art.

The artists were sent to
farm cotton in the countryside.

The physical work was too
intense. I couldn't handle it.

Pregnant women didn't
have to do hard labor.

So I got pregnant.

The Cultural Revolution
ended when I was around 5.

After that, my dad only wanted
to make up for lost time.

He rarely talked to me...
except to punish me.

He would invite tons of
colleagues to the house.

Theater was everything.
His religion. His passion.

I thought at that time,
when I have a career,

I want to work
with him on a project.

I thought, that is the
way to get close to him.

When I was 14,
he took me to the park one day.

I'd just learned to ride a bike.
He was just keeping me company.

My father started
talking to me that day.

I don't remember
what he said exactly.

But I remember how I felt.

I felt like a grown-up.

We haven't read
together for a long time.

We used to read in
the attic together.

And your mom would yell at us,
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?"

What’s up?

Your son's beard
has turned gray.

What are you talking about?
Let me see.

Look! I got a bunch
of gray hair.

I’m in my 40’s.
My beard is turning gray.

In our first puppets,
we used springs.

But the spring won't work
for this new hand design.

I kept thinking about it.

I thought maybe
rubber bands could work.

We can go from below.

- Wind it around the fingers?
- Yes.

Here. Stabilize here first.

So flexible!

Nobody else in the world
makes puppets like we do.

Not tired. Not at all.
Excellent!

Right... this feels right.

Nice... very nice.

Come here.

Don't be shy.

Give me a kiss.

Now I give you one.

Good.

Dear Child,

I want to use every
ounce of my energy,

every fiber of my being,

to accomplish something.

To love someone.

I know there's so much
absurdity in trying to do this,

so much unknown.

Often, I think
making art is the same.

Totally useless
in our daily reality.

Just a way to torture ourselves.

But I keep going.
Passionately. Adoringly.

Because we know we
really don't have a choice.

Happy birthday to you...

Boss! Make a wish!

I want a wife!

We make good work together!

You guys have been amazing.

You've helped me so much.

This birthday dinner is just
an excuse to thank you all.

Cheers!

- How old are you?
- 22.

Damn! So young!

You're 37?!

You think I am still Little Lee?

I thought you were under 25!

We will never lose our youth.

If we did, we'd replenish
with some fresh meat!

It's hard to carve
a dome from wood.

So we used a wooden wash basin.

This piece is made from a basin.

We are figuring out how to
build the plane right now.

What a big production!

Much bigger than
we first planned!

We've worked on it
for more than a year now.

We hope to finish the show
next year and open in Shanghai.

We are killing
ourselves to work faster.

Schedule is really tight.
I'm nervous.

When I go into rehearsal,

I'd love to have
your help for a few days.

But I haven't worked
on the pre-production.

I can't just show up
and supervise.

Come. Maybe you can
make it better.

If we collaborate,

we need some ground rules

if we see things
differently and argue.

If I get mad,

you can't just
obey me like a good son.

Maybe some kind of scale
to measure each situation,

so we can resolve
disagreements productively.

Even if I'm not happy,

I would be fine if
you don't agree with me.

I'm not a theater guy.
Theater is your medium.

You guys raised me
in the theater.

So I'm hoping to do a
good piece of theater.

It would also fulfill my dream
of collaborating with you.

Good collaborators...

they have an understanding
between them.

Probably more than
between a father and a son.

But I'm worried...

we've not talked this through,
or... thought it out.

Maybe after that,
we can work together.

Move towards the middle.

Ok. Leave it there.

Action!

"Papa, the bike is swaying."

Son, you're doing great!

It’s fascinating.

I direct humans.
He directs robots.

I worked for
such a long time at

the Shanghai Chinese
Opera Theater.

My son... totally
out of the blue!

He ventures into
new creative territory.

It doesn't matter whether
he dedicates it to me...

or offers it to the world.

Let me think how I can help him.

So cool.

If we practice, we
can perform with this.

Several new crew members joined
after the Lunar New Year.

Five or six more
people will join our group.

A co-director has
joined the team.

At first, Maleonn
didn't know how long

it would take to do the project.

He thought, other people
take three months,

then we can finish in six.

But six months was only
enough to build the puppets,

so we extended to one year.

So a year and a half. Now two
years. We keep extending.

The original budget
doesn't apply anymore.

Money is running low.
We need to find more.

We start today.

Our first official rehearsal.

Damn, it's leaking.

Places, everyone!

The sound comes on.

Papa... Yes... Airplane...

Ok... he sees the plane.

Papa.

Slower.

No, that doesn’t seem right.

Maleonn and I will show you.

Just like that.

Ok, stop.

Excellent job!

Do this with your hands.

If you don't follow
your director's orders,

you'll get more stupid.

You're so full of yourself.

That’s why
you're getting dumber.

- Dumber?
- You're not humble.

If I were humble, I
wouldn't be who I am today.

I want to invite my
father to watch my play.

I want to invite my
father to watch my play.

So you want to remind
everyone to treasure

our time with our parents.

Yes. I have so much I
want to say with this play.

In this story,
the father is a pilot.

The son, Makuji,
tries everything

to build a time machine.

Each memory the son
captures means

another connection
with his father.

- What do you think?
- Nice.

3, 2, 1.

Hello, Maleonn?

What's going on?
I don't know where you are.

These are fun.

If you've eaten,
then we will eat.

I'm sorry. I'm not
finished with work yet.

Oh, we were hoping
you'd have dinner with us.

Nevermind, then.

He posted online a
story he wrote about

you and him at
the swimming pool.

"I swam one more lap,
back near where he stood."

"He asked me again,
'Can you float on water?'"

"As I laid on the water,
filled with sadness..."

"I need to finish that project,
something he and I both wanted."

It was mild in 2012.
Now it's more serious.

I am trying to write
a book about

my work as a theater director.

My head is so fuzzy now.
Can you give me

some medication to help
me finish this book?

You are already
taking those meds.

Thanks a lot.

We've already spent a lot
of money on this project.

We'll need to spend a lot
more to get it finished.

Another investor was
going to come on board,

but he wanted control.

Why do we need some
other random consultant?

My father is
already the consultant.

I may need to spend
more time fundraising.

But the project will
keep going, regardless.

Let's see what happens
on this New York trip.

Where is the case?

Oh, poor little Makuji.

I consider this
piece of work a gift.

More precisely, the
fulfillment of the promise

made to my father.

I want to create something
that was uniquely my style.

I decided to work with puppets,
starting from scratch.

When will you
complete the project?

- In less than a year.
- Another year?

Probably October.

- What about October?
- The play...

- He won't finish
his play this year.

- Oh... his play...

Do you know what play
we are talking about?

With the puppets.

Remember?

The thing you wrote?

You read it.

I did....

Oh... right... let me see...

You see...

My father is unlikely to
continue on the project.

My dad's health is problematic.

I'm worried.

The plane is one of our set
pieces. It needs to be perfect.

This isn't just a plane,
it's a symbol.

Papa is a pilot.

The audience is made
to think that the plane

is a part of
their memory.

When the plane appears, the son
should break down completely.

So the audience will
suddenly realize that the plane

embodies what they didn't
want to talk about...

which is death.

At that time, I thought...

I read a few books,
studied a few shows.

Suddenly I became the
most productive director

at the Shanghai Chinese
Opera Theater.

Seriously! You can ask
my old colleagues.

I was able to direct 80 plus
shows at the Shanghai Theater.

Me! I was able to direct
more than 80 shows

over several decades. 80 shows.

Alright, but that
was the old days.

I was not especially
smart or talented.

I was like the commander
in the Revolutionary Army

fighting for our platoon
on the front lines.

If you tried to surrender,
I could execute you on the spot!

Here you go again!

Why not!!!

Dad.

We come in first.

Dad.

-My dear son.
-How are you doing?

I'm fine, fine.
How about you guys?

We are good.

Good. That makes me happy.

We really like your girlfriend.

Very good... very good...

The last time you called,
you said we can

check out the
retirement home this month.

But seems like
you are really busy.

This is what I am thinking:

I don't really want you guys
to move to a nursing home.

Why don't we buy a house,
and we can live together.

I have a great partner now.

I can go back to living
a normal life.

I used to have an
unstable life as an artist.

I want to buy the house.

But I need some time.

When my shows
start generating income.

OK?

In other families, everyone
shares the burden.

- But I am the only one here.
- Don't cry, Mom.

This is too hard.

I can't do this anymore.
I can't handle it.

Mom, don't cry. I understand.

Hao! Come here! Meeting.

Emergency.

We have a huge issue.

They just found out lots
of lights can't be used.

As long as we get
more money for our troupe,

we'll be able to keep
performing together.

The problem is, I haven't
seen any more money.

What will happen if it
doesn't get better soon?

Would it mean we're finished?

If nothing else happens,

it would mean we
dissolve the team.

I have two choices.

First, I could stop working,
spend a year with my father,

be a great son.

The other choice
is to do this project.

Not only to please my father,
but also to bring

something
beautiful to the world.

But this world, it doesn't
deserve beauty.

Can we mark the time?
Ten past eleven.

Oh, let me see.

Eleven o'clock, eleven ten....

Can you tell me the
name of this hospital?

- I've come to this hosptial
for half of my life.

- What's it called?

Just think.

What day of the week is today?

What day is it?

I no longer pay attention
to it after retiring.

What year is it, this year?

I had a great memory before,
but now....

I was a director before.
I ran the opera theater.

I did this for decades.

I used to direct the whole
company to create a show.

Back then, my brain was sharp.
But now...

That was my job. And now I am...

I used to be...

Don't talk about the past.

When actors forgot their lines,
I could recite them.

But now I'm like this!

Nothing I can do.

No matter how much
I want to fix it.

No matter how frustrated....

The machine is broken.
It's gone.

What can I do?

The airplane....

No airplane, Papa.

The airplane....

The airplane is not coming,
I have told you many times.

It will absolutely not come.

I've asked Maleonn to
take care of some old books

and news clippings.

Also my old writings.
Drafts. I want him to burn it.

Dear friends,

We've moved into
Cherish Retirement Home.

Starting a new chapter
in the journey of life.

No need to worry.
Please come visit us.

Looking forward to spending
time with our old friends

in the sunset years
of our lives.

Warm up time!

Dear friends and guests,

This play will include
puppet dialect.

If you don't understand the
dialogue, please don't panic.

Thank you!

Dear Child,

I've always thought that the
important things in life

...even if they are
extinguished,

can be lit again
with my passion.

But time is too powerful.

More powerful than all
the passion you possess.

You can't undo what it has done.

With all of this,
have I been too naive?

- Go about your business.
- I'll walk you out.

I'm sure you're busy.
Don't mind me.

It's very good, my son.

I am digesting it.

Get your phones ready!

With this, I show my
commitment to Tianyi.

What am I supposed to do now?

Just say yes!

OK, yes!

To my Tianyi, we will
always be together.

If they are invited to
perform internationally,

they should keep going.

No need to give up.

It's rare to get this far.

They are done?

I don't think they
can keep going.

You need money to do theater.

Who's gonna let you
do this without money?

Actors can't work
for free either.

Did you see his show?

Yes, and you too.

I saw it too?

How come I don't remember?

"Papa's Time Machine?"

Am I that confused?

Can you tell me some
behind the scenes stuff?

Let me tell you.

He made a play,
and the story is...

about a son

whose father has
become forgetful.

So he built a time machine.

to travel through time and
retrieve his father's memory.

That's the story.

And he wants to
dedicate it to you.

Thank you, dear family
and friends, for coming to

Baby Deng-Deng's 100-day
celebration!

We're really grateful!

Oh... she's gonna cry!

Deng-Deng, it's OK.

This is her father?

Yes, this is my daughter.

Didn't you know?

-Your son is a father!
-Call me grandpa!

Let's take a picture.

Life really is a circle,
isn't it?

I started this project
because my father is aging

and losing his memory.

A year after I finished the
project, my baby was born.

Definitely the circle of life.

When I showed my child to
my father, my father asks,

"Who's this?" I tell him,
"It's your granddaughter!"

Wow! He's so excited!

After a while, I come to
my dad with the baby again.

"Who is this?" "It's your
granddaughter."

I've already... I no longer
fret about this.

At first, it pained me when I
had to tell him a third time.

Even if I didn't show it,
it was breaking my heart.

Because my father
is totally confused.

But now... I already...
I feel very...

I feel fine telling him
over and over again,

"This is your
granddaughter."

Ten minutes later, I can say,
"Look at this child!"

"Who is this?"
"It's your granddaughter."

Wow! He is so thrilled
and kisses her.

So we take the baby away, and
come back ten minutes later.

"Who is this?"
"It's your granddaughter."

Again and again, I have
the joy of telling my father,

"This is your granddaughter."

Dear Child,

How should I introduce you
to this beautiful world?

It’s living.

It’s dying.

It’s joy

followed by pain.

We grow strong.

We grow old.

We depart.

Then we return.

Before you were born,
I wrote down these stories

about the people who love you.

Also, our time machine.