123. Outstanding China Movies

June 19, 2020

123. Outstanding China Movies

19 jun 2020

updated 7 July 2020

These first 3 films were recommended by my new students,

the 4th film is my recommendation for them:

1. 一个陌生女人的来信 (2004)

2. Hello!树先生 (2011)

3. 落叶归根 (2007)

4. 后来的我们 (2018)

5. 非诚勿扰 (2008)

6. 驴得水 (2016)

7. 失恋33天 (2011)

8. 大唐玄奘 (2016)

9. 花木兰 (Chinese Production - 2009 & 2020)

10. 10. 流浪地球 (The Wandering Earth, Sci fi, 2019)

1. Letter from An Unknown Woman (2004)

2. Hello Mr Tree (2011)

3. Getting Home (2007)

4. Us and Them (2018)

5. If You Are the One (2008)

6. Mr Donkey (2016)

7. Love is not blind (2011)

8. Xuan Zang or Dà Táng Xuánzàng (2016)

9. Matchless Mulan (2020) &

Mulan: Rise of a Warrior or Legendary Warrior (2009)

10. 流浪地球 (The Wandering Earth, Sci fi, 2019)

About choosing the defining scenes for sketching...

https://jt-sketchpad.blogspot.com/2020/06/128-sketching-scenes-from-chinese-films.html

1. recommended by jiayao 一个陌生女人的来信 a letter from an unknown woman (2004 Chinese film, adaptation of a novella or short story, written and directed by Xu Jinglei) romance, drama Theme, for me: Longing Played straight as it is here, this story about a woman’s tragically wasted life is uncomfortable in an age of female rebellion. The historical background of the Japanese invasion of China and World War II, which could have been used to rethink the story and update the action, merely furnishes a colorful slate on which Xu masterfully embellishes the personal story. Lavish production design, costumes, lensing and music romanticize the film in its every particular. Echoes of Zhang Yimou can be felt in production designer Cao Jiuping’s strikingly poetic interiors and architecture. Mark Lee PingBin, who has shot many Hou Hsaio-Hsien films as well as “In the Mood for Love,” makes the elegant visuals glow and sing. Source: https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/letter-from-an-unknown-woman-2-1200530450/	Awards Best Director Award (Xu Jinglei), 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival Golden Rooster Award for Best Art Direction Golden Rooster Award for Best Cinematography Source:
2. recommended by zhong shen Hello! 树先生 hello mr tree (2011 Chinese film written & directed by Jie Han) drama, satire Theme, for me: Loss The Bottom Line: A satire that bridges the personal and political with fantasy and black humor. SHANGHAI — Hello Mr. Tree is a dark fable on greed and guilt told in an absurdist key, yet shot with documentary-like verisimilitude. It weaves the strange fate of a misfit, who could be an idiot or a seer, into the backdrop of a rural community that’s ruthlessly uprooted by a private mining venture. To fuse an idiosyncratic character study with a subtle expose on controversial phenomena in China is indeed ambitious for young writer-filmmaker Han Jie. The story arc initially appears to be as lost and listless as the protagonist and his spiritual stasis is matched by a stuttering narrative rhythm that can be baffling. However, the film takes off spectacularly in an ambiguous and symbolic third act, in which fantasy and reality collide. Source: 14 jun 2011 Film Review, Hollywood Reporter https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/hello-mr-tree-film-review-201372	Awards 2011 (14th) Shanghai International Film Festival - June 11-19, 2011 Jury Grand Prix Award for Best Director 2011 (12th) TOKYO FILMeX - November 19- 27, 2011 Special Jury Prize - Kodak Vision Award (Special Mention) 2012 (10th) Reggio Emilia: Asian Film Festival - March 16-24, 2012 Best Actor (Wang Baoqiang) Source: http://asianwiki.com/Mr._Tree
3. recommended by zhong shen 落叶归根 Getting Home 2007 Chinese comedy/drama film directed by Zhang Yang and starring Chinese comedian Zhao Benshan. It is episodic and follows two workers in their 50s, Zhao (Zhao Benshan) and Liu (Hong Qiwen). The film opens when Liu unexpectedly dies after a night of drinking and Zhao decides to fulfill a promise to his friend to get him home, beginning a long odyssey from Shenzhen to Chongqing with Liu's corpse on his back. Along the way, Zhao meets a variety of figures, played by several of China's better known character actors. *Getting Home's original title derives from a Chinese proverb meaning "A falling leaf returns to its roots." It is apparently based on a true story.*	Zhao, a construction worker, struggles to fulfill his dying co-worker's last wish to be buried in China's Three Gorges region. Initial release: 25 January 2007 (Hong Kong) Director: Zhang Yang Cinematography: Yu Lik-wai, Lai Yiu-fai Screenplay: Zhang Yang, Yao Wang Nominations: Hong Kong Film Award for Best Asian Film
4. recommended by me 后来的我们 Us and Them (2018 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Taiwanese singer-actress Rene Liu (directorial debut) romance, drama Theme, for me: Hit Chinese film Us and Them picked up by Netflix after US$200 million takings at China box office Blockbuster romance starring Jing Boran and Zhou Dongyu, shot by In The Mood for Love cinematographer and with hit Eason Chan theme song, is directorial debut of Taiwanese singer-actress Rene Liu Source: 9 May 2018, South China Morning Post, https://www.scmp.com/culture/film-tv/article/2145376/hit-chinese-film-us-and-them-picked-netflix-after-us157-million The film premiered on April 23, 2018 in Beijing. At the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Netflix bought exclusive distribution rights to the film everywhere outside of China.[8] The film was released on the service in June 22, 2018. Liu remarked, "I am honored that the film was chosen as Netflix’s first Chinese language original film." Source: Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_and_Them_(film) The film has five credited screenwriters but they must have all been on the same page, as its shifts in tone feel natural, at least until the final third, which runs through a checklist of sentimental clichés. Liu deftly handles the peaks and troughs of young love, eliciting winning performances from Jing and Zhou. Neither shies away from their characters’ flaws and the actors create relatable people whose relationship constitutes a genuinely bittersweet near miss. The performance that really lingers, though, is veteran director turned occasional actor Tian Zhuangzhuang as Jing Qing’s father. As in Sylvia Chang’s family drama Love Education (2017), Tian conveys unconditional understanding with the smallest gestures and delivers advice in a gruffly affectionate manner. Source: Screendaily Review - https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/us-and-them-review/5128687.article	Golden Rooster Awards 2019 - Award Nominations Taiwan actress Rene Liu's Us and Them was nominated for two awards – best directorial debut and best screenplay – while Ching-Song Liao, a Taiwan film editor, was nominated for best film editing. The Taiwan nominations embody the Chinese mainland's "31 measures", where it encourages co-productions of films and TV series by mainland and Taiwan filmmakers, according to Taiwan's Chinatimes. source: http://xiamen.chinadaily.com.cn/2019-11/12/c_424000.htm
Mr. Donkey (《驴得水》, 2016

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一个陌生女人的来信

Letter from an Unknown Woman (2004 film)

(徐静蕾姜文) 配乐琵琶语

The Story

a woman writes a letter to the man she has been in love with since she was a teenager and living next door. he does not remember her but through her letter, she reveals her life story and how they had a few affairs together. in her letter, she tells him that she has given birth and raised his son alone and that their son had just died.

Letter from an Unknown Woman (German: Brief einer Unbekannten) is a story of an author who, while reading a letter written by a woman he does not remember, gets glimpses into her life story.

the story is adapted from a novella by Stefan Zweig, published in 1922.

while the original story is set in Austria before the 1918 flu pandamic, the adaptation in a 2004 Chinese film (written and directed by Xu Jinglei) is set in Beijing during the 1930's and 1940's.

My Takeaway from Watching this Film

yearning,

waiting,

long suffering in silence

this film captures the life story of a girl, who is in love with her rich neighbour since a teenager, but never able to be remembered by the man. they had a few flings together but she will never remind him who she is and he could never remember her. She sends him white roses every year and finds ways to meet/see him within his social circles, hoping he will remember her. when she finally realises that he will never remember her, she writes him a letter, coincidentally, on the day her son (his son) had died.

story is emotional and emit lots of yearning. the heart is a fragile things but she is never heartbroken but is determined to hold on to her love for this man who doesn't even remember her.

is that how people in the past had decided that they want to live this way? i don't like this mindset Lol

what i like about the film is the voice over (what a beautiful womanly voice!) and the scenes where she pines and waits for him.

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Hello!树先生

Hello, Mr. Tree!

2011 Chinese Film, HD1280超清国语中英双字王宝强演技巅峰主演：

王宝强\谭卓\何洁\李京怡\王大治

The Story

Mr Shu (Shu meaning tree) finds it difficult to adjust to the rapid unsettling changes occurring in his beloved hometown. Mr Shu struggles to make any sense of his world while many villagers are relocated to the newly built cities during China's economical rise and drive. while his hometown is slowly being abandoned, as villagers move away to the city to make way for greedy land developers, Mr Shu fails to absorb and survive the changes that will follow.

more tragic is his longing to meet his eldest brother again but knows he cannot because his brother had been accidentally killed by their father when he was hung on the tree as punishment for doing something unacceptable to the family and the village.

My Takeaway

i like how the story borders between hard cruel reality and the surreal, dreamlike world of Mr Shu.

both worlds are real to Mr Shu as he struggles to reconcile with his current situation, his wishes for how he wants to live his life (and enjoy being married) and his wish to be with his eldest brother again.

i like how the theme of urbanisation and displacement of villagers is the centre of Mr Shu's struggle to make sense of his world and his hopes and dreams. the loss of the simple village life is as tragic as the loss of a beloved brother, his father, his new wife, mother, childhood friends and villagers/neighbours.

there is a strong, raw and emotional sense of loss in this film. there is even the loss of Mr Shu's sanity that gives the film and story an impactful experience.

yes LOSS is a huge theme in this movie for me.

but though the feeling of loss is overwhelming in this film, the story ends with Mr Shu's dream come true - where he reconciles with his pregnant wife and feels excited that they will be living in this new crazy world together as they start a new family and lifetime adventure.

who says losing one's mind and sanity means a life of suffering?

well, certainly not for Mr Shu.

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后来的我们

Us and Them

(2018 Chinese romantic drama film

directed by Taiwanese singer-actress Rene Liu (directorial debut)

romance, drama

Story

a chinese couple, from the same hometown, struggle to survive and gain success in the harsh Beijing city. Coincidentally meet again years after they had broken up. As they share their thoughts, feelings and experiences, they realise how their feelings for each other had not changed despite their circumstances and how reality for them has turned out to be harsh and bittersweet.

My Takeaway:

LOVE the performances by lead actor, actress and supporting actor who played Jian Qing's father.

LOVE the adorable characters and how they made me, as an audience, WISH and LONG for their happiness and success.

LOVE the realistic portrayal of life through these characters, and how each character could be someone you know or even be oneself.

a few meaningful themes in this story :

1- the harsh realities of struggling to survive or to gain "success" in a rapidly changing world (without connections), especially on a day to day basis

2- love is misfortune

Xiao Xiao: "can you explain why this world has never had a story

that is happy from the beginning to the end?"

方小晓: 你能解释为什么这个世界从来没有故事

从头到尾那幸福吗？

Jing Qing: "happiness is not a story. Misfortune is."
林见清: 幸福不是故事。不幸才是。

Xiao Xiao: then i don't want a story with you.

方小晓: 那我不想跟跟你之前发生什么故事了

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Below some screenshots which i feel are the highlights of the story and the visual that would determine the theme or the essence of the film.

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Hello!树先生