"In order to win, I'd like to fight once." - Le Ying

Yolo is a Chinese movie that tells about the story of Du Le Ying, a 30 something years old obese woman, who found new passion thru boxing sports. Prior to finding this new hobby, life has been very melancholic and dramatic for Le Ying. Her day starts and ends laying in the couch watching TV. She has stayed at home and refuse to find a job, totally withdrawing herself from the society. Adding to this depressing lifestyle, her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend and thru out the years, her sister bullied her.

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Her life changed when she crossed path with Hao Kun, a boxing coach from a nearby gym. He was being pressured by the gym owner to sell gym memberships to new clients, so he used all his might to convince Le Ying to sign up. Developing feelings for the coach, Le Ying agreed to be his boxing student. Eventually, she found a job as a waiter to fund her daily expenses and boxing training.

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One time, Hao Kun mentioned that he wants to join a boxing match, which Le Ying happily supported. However, prior to the competition, his opponent bribe him with money for him to loose, which he accepted.

Their short lived romance end after Hao Kun gave up boxing and decided to be a construction worker while Le Ying continue her boxing pursuit and trained harder. She is determined to join the regional match. After a year of training, she has lost 50 kg of body weight and is now qualified to enter the boxing match.

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The match wasn't an easy feat for Le Ying as she faces an unbeatable champion and professional boxer, Hong Xia. Le Ying had been knocked down several times during the match but she always managed, though weakly, to get back up. Reaffirming her determination to "win at least once".

"We may not successfully get up every time we fall, but every attempt is worthy of respect."

The fight ended with Le Ying being knocked down on the ground. Despite losing the match, her bravery and courage win the crowd including her family members. Someone even commented that it is the best fight he has ever seen. She then walked away from the scene claiming that she has finally won once in her life.

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Thoughts and Realizations

The story isn't so much about weight loss but more on the will power and courage to achieving one's goals. I believe for once in our lives, we can relate to Le Ying. I remember when i was in college, i had a crush on someone who has, in some ways, an authoritative figure, just like a coach. He is an officer of the school organization. In our school, top performers for midterm and final exam for major subjects get posted in the bulletin board for everyone to see. So it was my motivation to get good grades so that when scores are release, he could see my name on that list. Eventually, i no longer persevered to get notice by him but rather solely for achieving my dreams.

Another shocking news for viewers is that during the filming of the scenes, the production did not use fat suit to make the actress look fat. In fact, Jia Ling, the leading actress, announced that she truly has lost 50 kg in the span of one year for the film, grabbing more attention to viewers.

Over all, my key take away from this movie is that no matter our circumstances in life, it is our choice to show up and navigate ourselves in those circumstances. One must always have courage and resilience within.

That's it for today's blog. See you in my next one!

Sending some love and light

Love, Jane