2freensel I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

dromasca The key scene of this wonderful film about a father-son relationship happens towards the end. The father, a former painter whose life and career were crushed by the political troubles of the Cultural Revolution that China went through four decades ago visits the newly opened exhibition of his son's paintings. He walks through the paintings which like in a time travel bring back the emotions of his son uneasy growing up. Then he stops in front of one work, representing the double portrait of child with blurred features and huge deep hunting and hunted eyes near the portrait of a man whose traits are hard to distinguish, hidden like by fog. The two portraits seem unrelated, but yet we feel that the boy's uneasiness is related to the man's portrait absence of clarity. The visiting father sits on a bench. Then his son joins him. Without a word the father extends his hand to his son as a sign of congratulation. It's almost the only sign of father to son tenderness in the whole film.As many good movies 'Sunflower' can be read and interpreted at multiple levels. It is the story of a relationship between a father that is taken away from the child to find him back nine years later, a father who tends to dominate and control his son's life beyond 'normal' father to son care, in an attempt to realize through his son's talent and artistic training the destiny that was refused to him because of the convulsions of history. At this level the film is wonderfully helped by a team of actors were Bin Li and Joan Chen have the leading roles of the parents, and three different actors represent the phases of development of the boy, with Wang Haidi playing the key mature period. Another reading goes beyond the immediate dialogs and makes us reflect to the relation between individual and history in a country which underwent such profound transformations as China did in the last half century. History and politics play all the time a role in the film, they are present in the background even if politics are not openly discussed. A radio or TV set seem to be permanently open, family relations or lodging depend on low scale policies, and the very premises of the film are derived from a huge political event. On this perspective the relation between father and son may become a symbol of the relation between the older and newer generations of China, a country were new ways find their place and replace the older methods in economy and in the life of its citizens. In a country and tradition were elders are respected and order is the supreme governing principle, the story of a rebellious son has a stronger connotation. The title itself can be interpreted in multiple ways - the presence of sunflowers in the action is paralleled by a picturesque resemblance of the flowers brought on screen with the famous sunflowers painted by Van Gogh, the supreme master of art rebellion.At the end the father disappears completely from the life of his son, making him absent at the childbirth of his grandson in what seems to be a gesture of supreme sacrifice knowing his obsession with the life of his son continuing ans repairing his own life and the destiny of the previous generations. Yet, sunflowers are present, and we feel that in the life and spirit of the new generations there is a lot of what the elders induced. An almost Confucianist conclusion to the story of the relation between father and a rebellious son.

lastliberal It is so easy to see this film as a glimpse of China during a period of upheaval. We see the events of the era, notably Mao's death, the Gang of Four and their downfall, up to the era of small- and later large-scale capitalism. Focusing on changes in society and the impact on families, particularly one, in a small village causes us to lose sight of what this film is really about.Torn from his family and sent to a reeducation camp, Gengnian is determined to make up for the time he lost (six years) as a father. Like many fathers, and I include my own among them, he feels the need to be firm and instill discipline in his son; to guide him in the direction he "should" go. In this case, it is painting. You see so many American fathers in Gengnian, especially those who are children of the depression. You also see those fathers that live vicariously though their children and push them to excel even without asking if this is what they really want.The film gives us a glimpse of a changing China, but we also see family interaction in a way that we are not familiar with, and that alone makes it worthwhile. But, it is not a documentary; we should focus on our relationships with our fathers and sons, and we certainly will if we allow ourselves to be drawn into the film.Yang Zhang has given us something to really think about. With brilliant cinematography by Jong Lin (Bend it Like Beckham, Eat drink Man Woman), and an amazingly good performance by Joan Chen as the materialistic mother, it was a real treat.

johnnyboyz There are two scenes in Sunflower, a rare Chinese gem of a film, that genuinely made me feel that 'choke' you get when you're seeing something in a film that you know emotionally affects you in some way. The scenes are simple and seemingly unexciting on paper: a girl ice-skating as a male admirer sketches her and an apparent stray cat 'returning' to where it once lived. But to have two scenes that are indeed so simple on paper work so well in a film and be able to get that reaction, is a great achievement. Part of the reason you get this reaction is because of what Sunflower does in the preceding events leading up to these scenes.I think to say this is the Chinese 'Forrest Gump' is a little too incorrect but immediately coming away from this film, it would be easy to label it so. Whereas Forrest Gump had a certain 'lack' of a father figure, it is the father figure that plays an important role in this film – mostly in the opening third but it has an effect on events thereafter. Sunflower splits its narrative up into three chapters; something it borrows from American cinema, for sure, but it has that theme of 'authority' running through it throughout. Often this authority is channelled toward Xiangyang (who is portrayed by three actors at different ages) but the mother will also exercise her anger and authority when the family are turned down a flat for themselves and the father in question spends several months away at a Communist run camp in the 1960s – a place where authority is rife and anger is taken out on its inhabitants. It is also because of this camp visit that makes the father so authoritarian toward his son as his artist 'living' is ruined and thus; wants his son to go down the route instead.It would not surprise me if the film was loosely based on some real experiences that the screenwriter might have gone through. The opening chapter takes place in 1967 where the film revolves around a nine year old Xiangyang and his struggling relationship with his father. During this segment, Xiangyang experiences an earthquake; a military coup following the death of a communist leader and an actual gathering in the town square featuring all the kids as they watch a film projected onto a makeshift screen. Such authenticity, especially the last example, and attention to detail as we have the world in which these character inhabit pointed out to us –earthquakes and how they affect characters; the end of regimes and how the consequences of the celebrations can impact on them.With these three segments set during different years, we really get the feeling that time has passed because with the attention to detail such as the examples above, the atmosphere that various different things happen at various different times that do not further the plot help in the progression of character relationships. The second segment happens in 1976 and sees the greatest progression in its characters. The ice-skating scene is, as I've mentioned, one of the more beautiful scenes in the film for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is the framing which gets closer and closer to the figure as they skate and Xiangyang draws – he is getting each detail he wants as we systematically see her in a closer fashion. What's more, the framing does not suggest he is watching her in a manner that represents the 'gaze' because it is impossible for a human being to see an item at one distance and then at a closer distance without physically moving – something Xiangyang doesn't do. The music and poetic movement of the skater aids in the effectiveness of the scene.One of the more remarkable things about Sunflower is that it feels epic and this is without any cheap gimmicks or special effects. If the film has any sort of flaw, it is that the final chapter revolves around a domestic situation that is whether or not the couple that is Xiangyang and Xiuqing (Chen) should have a baby. This plot path feels a little familiar but it is supported very well by its constant theme of authority when the parents would like them to have a child. But, the disturbing undercurrent here is that they obviously are not able to realise their son is old enough to make decisions for himself. But the final third opens the eyes for other reasons: we are allowed out of the boundaries of the neighbourhood; we get glimpses of the big city and all the mise-en-scene that accompanies it such as motorways, skyscrapers and Xiangyang suddenly driving around in a jeep. It seems his artistic creativity has been furthered and a leak in a pipe adds to the series of outside agency events interfering with the character's lives. Sunflower is not your typical Far East production that relies on martial arts and beautiful cinematography like a Yimou Zhang film might – nor does it resemble a John Woo film. Instead, Yang Zhang directs a touching and straightforward film that touches and captivates whilst remaining entertaining.

battlefield1944 reason 1, no one like this man ,he is too fast to become a artist.he learn from his father,we do not know his father's level.no process,no exercise ,there's nothing to explain.we just know he always want to play.finally,he succeed.reason 2,XiangYang's first lover.they are fall in love for no reason.like reason 1.they have seen each other,then they love each other,just because she find out XiangYang sketch her.soon she help him escape from the police.that's impossible in 1987's china,even in the near future.reason 3,the whole film is empty of ideal.Xiang Yang's father give him a ideal,he hate it.he just want money and women.what a pity!no ideal,is this what ZhangYang want to tell us?I was born in 1982.My elder brother was born in 1976.the director make believe the situation in Beijing during the Tangshan earthquake.in a word,the film tell us so many things,but no one explain clear.