Ni hao, Li Huanying

"Hi Mom" is based on the famous 2016 stage production that Jia Ling wrote, acted and directed about the events from her own life! The story centers on college student Jia Xiao Ling who has a hard time getting over her mother's death. In her grief, she somehow manages to travel back in time to meet her mother in 1981 and form a friendship together.

Jia Ling, Shen Teng, Michael Chen are all big stars in China and having a screenplay which allows them to show fully all their acting abilities is rare. Emotional, full of love, tender, funny, and typically Chinese! The directing was the weakest link, but it was not too bad.

Far from perfect, but highly recommended!

If you could go back in time, where would you go? To this question, Jia Ling answers: back to before my mom was married! Through this movie, she travels back in time to make her mom's life "better." This movie is Jia Ling's tribute to her late mother, who passed away when Jia Ling was only 19. She integrates humor to tell an incredible story. The second half of the film is what really gets the tears flowing. The story is incredibly beautiful, and the emotions are extremely raw and real. I laughed from start to end, but found myself unable to hold back tears. A mother's love for her child and a child's realization... truly a must see. I highly recommend this film!

Me at the beginning of the movie: laughing like a idiot Me at the ending of the movie: crying my eyes out. Me 3 hours after the movie: still sobbing in the shower

A movie full of most real feelings. Remember to watch sketch first foreign viewers if any.

A tear quencher, you can easily tell how much this film means to Jia Lin. However, apart from the ending, while the rest of the film is funny, it is very much in the mold of recent Chinese comedies, and it is greatly helped out by a very strong supporting cast. The last 10 or so minutes is not an easy accomplishment though, it is very much a career and lifetime defining moment for someone to pour this much personal emotions on film. Accomplishing this is perhaps more important than any amount of box office for Jia.