Meditation Park

Synopsis

Approaching their senior years, married couple Maria and Bing Wang emigrated to Vancouver from Hong Kong forty years ago, they living on the working class east side of the city steps away from Hastings Park. Bing has been the family breadwinner, starting with menial jobs after arriving in Canada despite his educated background, eventually being able to open his own small accounting firm in Chinatown where he keeps long hours in working for and schmoozing with clients. Meanwhile, Maria has been housewife and mother, dedicating herself solely to the family. With their daughter Ava now married with her own young family, and Bing being estranged from their son Charlie for ten years, Charlie who Bing will not allow Maria to keep in touch with despite Charlie living on nearby Bowen Island, Maria now feels like her only purpose in life is to take care of Bing. In addition, Maria is completely dependent on Bing as she still feels uncomfortable speaking English instead of their native Cantonese, as she doesn't know how to drive or even ride a bike to get around on her own, and as she has to ask Bing for any money she spends. Something that Maria discovers as well as an upcoming event of which she learns leads to Maria feeling like she needs some independence in her life, independence which she equates with having money of her own. Without telling Bing the reasons for her newfound want for a job, Maria goes searching for ways to get that money, a job which may be hard to come by as she hasn't worked since Hong Kong and due to her advanced sixty years of age. As she resorts to more basic and potentially dangerous means to earn money following in the footsteps of her neighbors who she doesn't really know well, Maria may discover that in addition to money, independence and the associated sense of freedom is a state of mind.