Health and Happiness

In *‘We Can Only Help Ourselves’* (1974), Gardi Deppe accompanies young women at a West German sanatorium and stages a role-play with them in which they give voice to their experiences of exploitation. Through conversations with the doctors, it becomes clear that the sanatorium is aimed less at healing than at

reintegration into the world of work and family.

For *The Five-Leaved Lilac Blossom* (1993), Yingli Ma visits her hometown of Beijing and meets four friends from her school days. Through conversations about their working and private lives, the film paints a picture of China following the suppression of the 1989 democracy movement and prior to its economic opening up to the West: the young adults speak of mounting pressure to perform, whilst the auspicious blossom becomes a symbol of hope and of their friendship.

We Can Only Help Ourselves

West Germany 1974, Director: Gardi Deppe, DCP, 48 mins, German with English subtitles

The Five-Petalled Lilac Blossom

Germany 1993, Director: Yingli Ma, DCP, 30 mins, German and Mandarin with German subtitles

Guest: Yingli Ma

Curated by Fiona Berg, Sophie Holzberger and Arisa Purkpong