Big World (Original title: Xiao xiao de wo, 2025) is a poignant exploration of societal prejudice and personal resilience, by Jackson Lee’s extraordinary performance as Liu Chun He, a young man navigating life with cerebral palsy. The story explores the everyday indignities Chun He faces, from the dismissive glances of strangers to the heart-breaking limitations imposed by his family. The film follows Chun He’s quest for independence, his strained relationship with his mother, Lu, and his tender bond with his grandmother, Su Qun. As Chun He seeks employment, pursues higher education, and even finds fleeting moments of connection, “Big World” unveils an unflinching portrait of a man determined to define his own existence despite the world’s persistent attempts to disrespect him.
This article contains spoilers.
Big World (Xiao xiao de wo, 2025) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film opens with Liu Chun He, a young man with cerebral palsy, slowly climbing stairs to a terrace. Looking at the city, Chun He writes in his notebook. Suddenly, Chun He hears his grandmother, Chen Su Qun, calling. For a year, Su Qun has lived in an elderly home, but Chun He’s mother, Chen Lu, asked her to move in. As Su Qun scatters her scarf, Chun He folds one, a difficult task due to his spastic quadriplegia. There is a call for Chun He’s trial lecture for a teaching position. It is Chun He’s birthday, so Su Qun celebrates with her choir group. Furthermore, Chun He struggles with choking on food and drinks. The choir group watches Chun He drink with curiosity.
What sort of discrimination does Chun He face in everyday life?
Unfortunately, Chun He is brought home drunk, infuriating Lu, who does not approve of celebrating Chun He’s birthday or getting him drunk. The underlying problem is Lu is mad at Su Qun for not being a great mother. At night, half asleep, Chun He pulls out a suitcase, gets inside it, pulls out a skeleton (artificial)from under the bed, hugs it, and sleeps. It seems like this is a bad Chun He has developed from when he was a child. The following day, Lu gives instructions to Su Qun about Chun He’s schedule. However, once Lu and her husband leave home, Su Qun and Chun He come to the school for Chun He’s trial lecture. Seeing Chun He talk and walk, the young children laugh, but it does not bother Chun He.
After the lecture, teachers acknowledge Chun He’s skills but prioritize the children’s wishes, denying him the job. To cheer Chun He, Su Qun takes him to a restaurant. There, Su Qun meets Diao, the choir drummer, who is upset about the group’s absence from his son’s store for shopping, leading to his resignation. At the choir meeting, Su Qun suggests Chun He as a temporary drummer. Inside the bus, Chun He offers his seat to a mother with a baby, but she is not okay with her child talking to Chun He. Furthermore, Chun He falls due to balance issues when the bus brakes. The driver’s rude demand that Chun He avoid the bus angers Su Qun.
How does Chun He win over the choir group?
At home, Su Qun lies to Lu that Chun He was home practicing writing as Lu wishes Chun He to go back to college, but one close to home. Once Chun He leaves the table, Lu tells Su Qun she is pregnant. Inside the room, Chun He is writing a complaint letter to the transportation board about the rude driver. Seeing Su Qun, Chun He says he dislikes lying, but Su Qun says every mature man should lie at least once. With some difficulty, Su Qun also convinces Chun He to play the drums for the choir group. Since Chun He has not played drums since kindergarten, it is difficult, but one of the ladies in the choir group thinks Chun He is a retard. This causes a brawl between the lady and Su Qun. A group of people are playing with Frisbee, which falls near Chun He.
When he struggles to pick it up, a girl Ya Ya helps out. The fight leads to the group at the police station. At the police station, Su Qun and the lady forgive and forget. At night, Lu informs Chun He that Lu and her husband will take a long trip soon. Because Lu won’t be around, Chun He asks if Normal University accepts him if he could go to college there but Lu refuses as it is a 90 minute journey from home. However, Chun He insists so Lu says she won’t pay the tuition. Meanwhile, it seems like Chun He likes Ya Ya. At the choir group meeting, Diao returns as he hears that Chun He is replacing him. Thanks to Ya Ya’s encouragement, Chun He has a drumming battle with Diao and everyone is impressed. Once again Chun He is imagining a life with Ya Ya only this time he is without the disorder.
Can Chun He get a regular job?
This causes Chun He to have a wet dream, which he is embarrassed about. Meanwhile, Chun He decides to apply for a job at the café to make money to pay for his university. However, Chun He asks Su Qun to stay at home while he attends the interview on his own. Although Su Qun agrees, she follows Chun He to the café. At the café, the owner wonders how long Chun He can walk, stand and if he can memorise the menu. To prove a point, Chun He demonstrates. Now the owner says he wants to hire someone normal but Chun He says he is normal with an impeccable memory.
Outside, Chun He and Su Qun have a meal, and Chun He knows Su Qun is following him. Without clarifying, Su Qun assumes Chun didn’t get the job, but it turns out Chun He got a job at the café, making Su Qun excited. Slowly, Chun He learns to make coffee and other things in the café along with catering to the customers. The job also motivates Chun He to work on his at-home rehabilitation exercises. Since Lu and her husband are not in town, Su Qun calls the choir group home. Even Ya Ya is invited.
What did Lu and Chun He fight about?
When Diao starts preaching to Chun He, Ya Ya rescues him, and they enter Chun He’s bedroom. Noticing a diary, Ya Ya picks up to see many poems written. Hearing that the one writing it is Chun He, Ya Ya is surprised and is in awe as Chun He writes well. Outside, Su Qun gets a call from Lu asking to open the door because she has forgotten the key. Unfortunately, when Lu comes home, she sees the choir group. Inside the room, Ya Ya wonders if Chun He gets a boner, and he says he does. One may assume it would have offended Chun He, but he says he is glad Ya Ya asked that question, as most people think people like Chun He don’t have any other needs besides eating and excreting. On cue, Lu walks in, and Chun He says that Lu is one of them. Once everyone leaves, Lu questions Ya Ya, but Su Qun lies, saying she is Chun He’s study partner.
Having had enough of the lies, Chun bursts out in anger and says he hasn’t studied and won’t redo the year either. When Chun He mentions he is working in a café, Lu gets mad. About the college, Lu thinks they won’t accept his letter, and even if they do, Lu wonders if Chun can become a teacher. The college cannot admit all the regular students, so why would they admit Chun He? As soon as Lu says this, she knows she is wrong, but Chun responds by saying Lu gave birth to him and she is the reason he has to suffer. They fight, and Lu admits that she hates Chun He, and he has to deal with it as it is both of their fate.
What did Chun He hear as a child that has caused him trauma?
During the choir meeting, Diao faints, and Lu has given birth to a girl child. At the hospital, Lu’s husband and Su Qun are helping Lu visit the washroom, and Chun He’s baby sister starts crying. As Chun He is about to touch to soothe her, Lu comes and pushes Chun He away, asking him not to touch the baby. Later, Chun He expresses his disappointment as nobody told him Lu was pregnant. Someone interviews the café owner, and the owner promotes a candy that Chun He has made. The other staff know the owner hired Chun He only because of tax benefits. Later, Chun He meets Ya Ya and asks her to hang out with him as Chun He does not feel like going home. So they visit a museum where Chun He tries to hold Ya Ya’s hand, but she makes an excuse to visit the washroom and leaves. At home, Chun He asks Su Qun to give the candy he made to Lu as a present, but Su Qun says Lu needs to keep an eye on her blood sugar so she can’t eat the candy.
Sadness is eating away Chun He, so he stuffs himself with candy, knowing well it will choke him. However, Su Qun arrives in time to help Chun He, but as Chun He is about to faint, he remembers a time from his childhood. One day, Chun He hides inside the suitcase, and at that time, Lu and her husband come looking for him. But they take a break, and Lu wonders if Chun He is lost, it would make their life better; Chun He hears and cries inside the suitcase. When Chun He wakes up in the hospital, Lu is crying. Seeing Chun He like this, Lu apologizes for pushing Chun He at the hospital. Additionally, Lu adds that when Chun He was born, Lu struggled to push him out of her belly. Once Chun He is home, he daydreams about Ya Ya. Later, Su Qun tells Chun He about the scar on her neck.
Big World (Xiao xiao de wo, 2025) Movie Ending Explained:
How did Su Qun get the scar on her neck?
When Lu was a child, Su Qun had to leave her and go to Tibet to make money because once Lu was born, Su Qun’s husband left them. While tending to the store, some goons entered and demanded money, but when Su Qun refused to give, saying it was for her daughter, they scratched Su Qun’s neck. Su Qun asks Chun not to resent Lu as Su Qun was never there to show what a mother’s love should be like; Lu also does not understand. There is good news waiting for Chun He as he has got his admission letter from Normal University. The transportation board calls Chun He for a hearing, apologizes for the driver’s rude behavior, and gives Chun He’s family three bags of food.
When Chun He is asked to speak, he expresses his fear that when those who care for him die, what will happen to Chun He? So Chun He hopes to live his life the way he wants to. As Chun He and Su Qun hang out, Chun He tells Su Qun that every mature woman should not lie to herself. With that, Chun He offers to take Su Qun to a restaurant and drop her off at the railway station so she can go where she wants, and Chun He will walk his path in his way. In the post-credits, we see Chun He performs with the choir group as a drummer.
Although Chun He is used to mockery, rudeness, and insensitivity because of his condition, he is used to it and tries his best to live an everyday life. As Chun He expresses when he gets the job in the café that, it is about dignity and not money or anything else. Unfortunately, this discrimination begins at home from his mother. The only reliant person Chun He has is Su Qun. Even though Ya Ya is the only person who doesn’t judge Chun He, she doesn’t involve herself romantically with Chun He.
The story does not insinuate anything, but it could be that she does not know or understand how to be in a romantic relationship with Chun He, or she always looks at Chun He as a friend. Considering how Chun He has been treated all his life when a girl is sweet to Chun He, he may have mistaken it for true love when it probably is just an attraction. Ultimately, Chun He is stepping into the life he wants to live on his terms. In a film demanding unwavering commitment, Jackson Yee rises to the challenge and surpasses it. His portrayal of Chun He is nothing short of spectacular, proof of his dedication and talent. He doesn’t just play the role; he embodies it, forging a profound connection with the audience.
