Film takes a bite of Shanghai's hidden eateries

When scriptwriter-director Wu Jing was researching her debut feature in Shanghai in September 2022, she often found herself eating in small, tucked-away restaurants in alley corners.

Barely large enough for four or five tables, these spots served food so good that diners faced a simple choice: wait in a long line or share a table with a stranger.

That small, familiar moment — repeated across the city — eventually inspired A Table for Two, released in domestic theaters on March 14.

Starring Wang Chuanjun and Jiang Shuying, the film follows a programmer with an idiosyncratic take on food, played by Wang, and a book editor, portrayed by Jiang, who finds quiet healing in cooking. The two meet by chance at a shared lunch table, a fleeting encounter that turns into something more.

Noting that Shanghai's glamorous side as a metropolis has been widely captured in many films and TV series, Wu said she wanted to reveal a lesser-known facet of the city — one that is more everyday, down-to-earth, and human.