Guo nian hui jia

Perhaps one of the best (Chinese) movies I have seen in recent years. Very realistic and subtle as well as crisp storyline, cinematography, screenplay as well as direction. Well, may be I understand the situation and the fact of the story better, as I am from India and we (asians) almost have the same community and family values/priority (though different language and culture). It coincides with lots of family wherein, the children are bound to study hard and slipping partiality from parents intrudes on the child who is more obedient and study-bound. These facts might not match with the western children as well as parents.

The brilliant performances on the part of parents as well as the expressions of the prisoner and the prison-captain really captivates ones hearts. The story itself is so powerful on human psychology that the film and the story are pieces of course to study and analyze. This is what we still deserve from Hollywood movies, at least bring some of the burning issues in front of viewers eyes.

I just saw it today and I am simply spellbound; I recommend this film highly. One of the best Chinese movies since Farewell My Concubine. I don't understand really, after having such a wonderful movie why 'House of Flying Daggers' etc are sent for Oscar nominations.

I would give a score of 9/10

Loved everything about it. You immediately identify with the family, then the two characters that become the focal point in the film. Beautifully shot, it becomes a road picture of sorts, a fascinating study of time and how things change along with it. It's one of those rare films that stays with you for a long, long, time. This is one of many foreign films that plays the festival circuit but doesn't get a general release in the U.S. I saw it in 1999 and thought that I'd have to be satisfied with the memory. There would never be another opportunity to see it again, but amazingly, after six years, it was actually released on DVD!! On a rainy day, pop this one into the VCR/DVD and just enjoy a very special story in a wonderful little film.

This is one of the movies banned by China. I rented this movie out of curiosity as to see why it was banned.

This is a very good movie, it makes you think about parenting and playing it fair to your children. The family is complex since the father has a daughter from prior marriage and the mother also has a daughter from a prior marriage. After this movie, I thought about parenting. The parents need to be sensitive to each child's development. One of the daughter is academic, obviously with high IQ and excelled in school. However, this high IQ daughter has pretty low EQ. She is not a team player and she is ambitious and eager to have a successful and more luxurious life in the future. The other daughter is not doing as good in academics. She is proud of her working class background, more outgoing and unlike the other daughter, she is a team player who wants to contribute to her school's extracurricular activities, etc.

In Chinese culture, people place too much emphasis on academic achievement. I think if you watch this movie, you would think about a child's ethical and moral standards as important attributes in a child's development as well.

Without giving away too much of the movie, I highly recommend people to see this movie. You won't regret it.

While working within the system, Yuan Zhang's (or is it Zhang Yuan?)latest film 17 YEARS gives the Chinese totalitarian system a human face. The title, referring to 17 YEARS of separation, also refers to an important year (age) in two of the main characters' lives. It is Zhang Yuan's best work to date, and quite possibly the most realistic, impartial portrayal of China's totalitarian system in recent years. I highly recommend it.

I would not want to waste time here on plots and other comments about the story, which you can find by looking at other posts. What I want to point out here is that the Chinese title is as equally philosophical as the English one:

17 years implies the 17 years of totalitarianism, after which humane side is finally appearing. The Chinese title has the literal translation as Going home on New Years, and it needs more explanation:

In the Chinese tradition, the new year is the time when all family members get together, reflection on the story of the protagonist being released from jail to go home to unite with his parents.