In Shanghai in the early 90s, a high school girls choir achieved brief fame for their singing talents on the national stage. They were the promise of youth in a time of change, when society was transforming as rapidly as the city, and traditional ideas of the role of women were giving way to new possibilities for girls like them. Thirty years later, the now middle-aged friends reunite for the first time in decades to share their stories, tears and laughter, and to reflect on what being a woman can mean.

Shot over the course of a year, Shanghai Girls follows filmmaker Luo Tong as she reconnects with her former classmates. In a series of intimate encounters and conversations, she uncovers the winding paths they have walked, through marriage, career, love, family and ambition, to where they are today. Through every experience, each twist and turn, they have found their way back to each other, and closer to themselves.

Shanghai Girls is a portrait of a generation; a collection of rarely-told stories of middle-aged women; a complex chorus of voices in harmony.

“Never be afraid of getting old. Youth is a timeless song that grows deeper with age.”