Grandpa Jing and His Old Customers

Located in the heart of Beijing, Shishahai is an old neighbourhood that is a favourite among tourists. Its streets are jam-packed with rickshaws carrying westerners around. Much less visible is the indigenous population, predominantly consisting of elderly singles who spend their last years behind closed doors. Grandpa Jing, the 87-year-old neighbourhood barber, is one of the few people who still keeps an eye on things and communicates the latest news. Once upon a time, the man who has been cutting and shaving for 70 years owned a shop on a fashionable street. Today, Jing visits his customers at home, where he cuts their hair in a loving and old-fashioned way. At a gradual pace, filmmaker Shi Runjiu follows the old man on his trip across town. Jing's customers have also grown wise and take the inconveniences that have come with the years less and less seriously. Short voice-overs provide the carefully depicted customers with concise biographies. This generates remarkable portraits and a collection of profundities about everyday life, making Grandpa Jin and His Old Customers a sober homage to a very special barber, and to the resilience of old age. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)