Movies
A pleasant Chinese romance with minor arthouse touches. It's somewhat of a forgotten film (and virtually impossible to find these days), which is a little disappointing as there is a lot to like here. The film could use a better quality release, as it could help to highlight the cinematography, even so, I don't think that would've been enough to keep it a personal favorite the second time around. The performances are good, the cinematography is nice and the editing is interesting. The theatrical/arthouse touch is also nice, but the film doesn't do quite enough to set itself apart from similar (and better) films of that era. For fans of Chinese rural dramas, this is an easy recommendation, good luck finding it though.Read all
Xun Zhou is probably the face of China's big cinema metamorphosis during the 00s. When directors tried to move away from the rural dramas, moving their characters to more urban and contemporary urban settings, they found in her the perfect lead. Where Have All the Flowers Gone is one of those films. The story offers a simple love triangle, but the presentation is slick, the narrative structure is disjointed, and the film thrives on atmosphere rather than plot. There are moments of pure beauty here, but it's also a little dated in places. It's a shame there hasn't been an HD reissue of the film, it would benefit from a proper cleanup, but don't let that stop you. A very sweet film.Read all