Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Jackson Booth-Millard I recalled the title of this Chinese appearing in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it had good critics reviews, and it did well at film festivals, so it was hoping for something good, directed by Zhuangzhuang Tian (The Horse Thief). Basically story is told from the perspective of a young boy, Tietou (Tian Yi) (his name literally means "iron head") growing up in the 1950s and 1960s in Beijing. Chen Shujuan (Liping Lü) and Lin Shaolong (Cunxin Pu) married in 1953 on Dry Well Lane, their son Tietou was born a year later. During the Hundred Flowers Campaign, Shaolong creates a blue kite for his son (Wenyao Zhang), a symbol that will remain throughout as a sign of better days, he dies in a reform camp. During the Great Leap Forward, close family friend Uncle Li Guodong (Xuejian Li), who protects Shujuan and her son partly out of guilt for lying to authorities about Shaolong, succumbs to malnutrition. During the Cultural Revolution, teenage Tietou (Xiaoman Chen) moves in with Lao Wu, his Stepfather (Guo Baochang), Tietou's mother being dragged away by Red Guards, and the stepfather dies from heart failure, the fate of Tietou is left unknown. Also starring Ping Zong as Chen Shusheng, Xiaoying Song as Sis, Yanjin Liu as Shujuan's mother and Bin Li as Granny. The story is essentially how careers, romances, friendships and rivalries are affected by momentous political and historical events, based on the memories of the director, only the blue kite flying seem to be the happy moments, this film was banned by the Chinese authorities, the betrayals and brutalities are convincing, I remember some family argument scenes, it was a little slow at times, but it is an interesting drama. Worth watching!

bandw This is the story of Tietou, a boy born in Beijing in 1953. It follows him and his family through the turbulent times in China until Tietou is fifteen. The story plays against the political background of The Rectification Movement, The Great Leap Forward and the beginnings of The Cultural Revolution. The movie stays closely focused on the family and how it is affected by the political whims of the times. Lacking a knowledge of Chinese history I was often confused by what was happening to family members. The great strength of the movie in focusing on the relationship between Tietou and his mother, and their courage in facing hard times, was also for me a weakness, since I did not understand the political forces behind what was precipitating the events driving their lives. What seemed like safe behavior at one time was deemed as cause for arrest at others. This may have been one of the points being made, but I did not understand the underlying reasons.Another problem I had was reading the subtitles. If you are not a speed reader, they will often fly by faster than you can read. Many of them stayed on the screen for less than half a second (I counted the frames). Many times I found myself pausing the DVD so I could back it up to read the subtitles. These disruptions obviously diminished my enjoyment of the film.All that being said, the movie is nicely filmed with a pacing and score that are quite effective. Many scenes linger on everyday details and are punctuated with subtle music. The historical context that does filter through is of interest.If I spoke Chinese and knew more of the history of that country, I think I would have appreciated this film much more.

orocolorado If this movie is banned in China and considered daring imagine what one told by an unsympathetic non communist would be like. For the fact is that all the characters in this film appear to be more or less kowtowing to the communists or aspiring party members themselves. One of the harshest things you hear is an old woman who wonders if there has been enough revolution. In fact it has the feel of a communist propaganda movie with eager smiling people who never complain. Various sources estimate that between 15 to 40 million people starved during the great leap forward...you would not get that impression from this film. I want to see what the real truth and tragedy were like. This is just a pale start.

QueenofBean This film is right up there in educating the masses on a bold, but chilling truth. The first time I saw this movie it not only made me cry, but it haunted me for weeks. Exposing the truth has been a difficult endeavor when it comes to China, but this is one of those films that has done it with grace and style.