Lao Wai - Foreigner
A native of France, Paul (Gauthier Roubichou) lives and works in
Shanghai as an IT engineer, spending his days fixing the problems of
ChinaÂ’s rapidly expanding population of internet users and his nights
performing at one of ShanghaiÂ’s many music clubs. Yet despite his love
for China and his fluency in Chinese, in the eyes of the Chinese he is
a “lao wai”, a foreigner. A chance meeting with Mei (Han Dan Tong) changes his life, and tests the limits of love in the face of
overwhelming cultural differences.
Set against the backdrop of modern China, "Lao Wai" peels back the
abstractions surrounding ChinaÂ’s rise and its people, offering viewers
a truer picture of 21st century China. Exploring themes of betrayal
and forgiveness, "Lao Wai" is a love-story in a time of globalization.