Hai yang tian tang

I read the plot outline on the box. A man with an autistic son, who is terminally ill tries to figure out a way to ensure his son will be cared for after he dies. That is quite a punch right there.

The movie really grabbed me emotionally with repeated small acts of kindness, not just from the father but from everyone in his community. You will need a box of Kleenex. The father has totally dedicated his life to his son's well being. His gentle kindness transforms everyone around him and brings out the best in them.

The movie completely worked until the very end when Dad tried to create a simple religious myth to explain his impending death to his son. It was bathos. It spoiled the end of the movie for me. The movie suddenly went Disney on me. It was just too goofy. I suppose I could reframe it as insane last ditch desperation.

It has an intense bitter-sweet ending.

(2010) Ocean Haven/ Ocean heaven/ Ocean Paradise (In Mandarin with English subtitles) DRAMA

As a fan of Jet Lee or Jet Li's martial art movies, this is quite a transition for him, but at the same time I was never a fan of movies about people suffering from down syndrome or people with mental disorder films since they're the easiest thing to do if anyone were to become an actor as I always thought even before seeing Lars Von Trier's controversial film "The Idiots" saying that it involves more peculiar movements and less thinking dialogue. Besides "The Idiots", the only other films that demand recognition in terms of less dialogue acting roles are probably "The Miracle Worker" with Anne Bancroft and "My Left Foot" which their minds are intact but their bodies are not. The reason I say this is because everybody regardless who you're can act or verbally talk irresponsibly and carelessly once in awhile including me. Therefore, down syndrome or other mental disorder films can on some level or another can be an everyday occurrence and is not hard to do saying that anyone can do it- just be self absorbed, selfish and inconsiderate of others while allowing others to help you. Anyways, I had to see this movie because I like Jet Lee and stereotypical I did not know he can be in a drama film. The film is written and directed by Xue Xiao Lu, which may be a personal film based on actual experiences. At the beginning, Jet Lee as Wang Xingchang or as the characters in the movie call him Old Wang ties a rope to his son's leg along with his while sitting on a boat for it's very evident that his teenage son doesn't have any normal tendencies. Old Wang jumps into the water from his boat for the intention of killing himself as well as his only teenage son his name is Dafu. We assume at this point that it's one of those movies which the beginning is the end. But that is not the case at all for his son, Dafu saves him since he must be an excellent swimmer. The next scene has both of them coming into their apartment, and are not wet anymore but smell quite badly as acknowledged by his young female next door neighbor who's just stopping by to drop off some eats. And it was at this point he reveals to the audience that his son is autistic. That the reason he was attempting to kill himself by means of drowning along with his son was because he is dying of cancer for his son is unable to take care of himself and felt that it would be unfair to him if he couldn't get the proper care that he needs. Now because the setting takes place somewhere China, we get to witness some of the customs regarding how autistic people are treated in some areas. For instance, Old Wang is allowed to take his son to work which is maintaining the 'ocean resort' which includes janitorial and electrical, while his son is allowed to swim in the pool with the sea animals which is where he learned to become a great swimmer. This movie makes the possibility that although it's possible to take your child with you when you go to work, it's not possible to find the proper care he needs if that person happens to be the only parent who can look after him and that it'll be much harder if that specific parent is not around anymore. What I liked about this film is that it's not so much about the son as much as it's about whether or not one can find the proper care for him if anything were to happen to the parent which can be any parents dilemma. For it's generally harder to look after someone who is mentally disabled than it would be to look after a cat or a dog which owners don't have to worry too much about them all the time in comparison to a child who's suffering from mental disabilities. What prevented me to like this film even more is the expected cliché scenes of Old Wang training his autistic son to cook for himself and so forth... for it's different with each person and in my opinion didn't need it since the gov't can also provide some of the help too.

This has been touted as Jet Li's first starring non-action drama. While that is interesting it is probably the wrong approach to think of Li's past roles before watching this movie. This is a simple bittersweet realist drama that is a moving cinematic experience because of the earnest performances. Jet Li's minimalist characterization is the right approach for his character Wang Xuechang and quite different than his action persona. The director describes Li's character as "like a man who has become a mother." He is described by others in the film as a good man, which he is. He is doing the best he can with this situation with dogged determination, not with brilliance or luck, but perseverance. Wang is a maintenance work for an aquarium and had lost his wife fourteen years ago. He also has complete responsibility of his son Dafu (Wen Zhang: also acts with Jet Li in the later The Sorcerer and the White Snake) who suffers from severe autism. Wang is also dying from liver cancer and is given around three months to live.

The film stars off inauspiciously. Wang takes his son out to the ocean to drown him and himself. This does not work because the son had secretly untied the rope and the son has one special gift in his mostly closed world -- he is an excellent swimmer. So Wang goes back to his home and work determined to leave his son prepared for his passing while his pains get worse by the day. At first he tries to find a place where he can leave his son. But either the institutions are for kids or seniors which the 22-year old does not qualify. While this proves difficult he also spends time going over simple behaviors like riding the bus, cooking eggs, and spending money so he can have some semblance of a normal life.

While Dafu spends his days swimming in the aquarium tanks he befriends a traveling circus clown and juggler Ling Ling (Kwai Lun-mei: also acts with Jet Li in the later Flying Swords of Dragon Gate; she also sings a song for the film) who also gives Dafu someone else to trust. But given that her life is nomadic and that Wang's life is slowly ebbing away you are left to wonder what is going to happen to Dafu.

This is Xue Xiao-lu's first directed film. Her only other screen credit is for the writing on Chen Kaige's Together. Xue has stated she has worked on this project fourteen years, referring to her volunteer work with autistic children, and by the time the screenplay got to be read by Jet Li it was in its seventh draft. What is impressive is the crew that was put together for this film. For the cinematography you have Christopher Doyle (In the Mood for Love, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Hero), for the music you have Joe Hisaishi (Kikujiro, Spirited Away) and production design by Yee Chung-man (Tokyo Raiders, Shaolin). Having this triumvirate is quite unbelievable considering the modest budget. Their collaboration helps the film immensely in sound and image.

This is a beautiful looking film. The cinematography and production design is dominated by blue hues throughout as a constant allegory to the water in their lives. The acting from Li and especially Wen is quite good. There relationship is quite touching as is the relationship between Dafu and Ling Ling. That one is underplayed, but I think that is the right decision for this film. So much of the success of this film depends on how Wen portrays his character's interactions with these two. There are no magical solutions to the familial issues, just a lot of hard work from caring people. There are no real antagonists in this story. Some might consider this a negative, but the movie does not need it. I am glad, because Dafu's life is difficult enough and the movie is emotional enough. I had to watch it in two sittings because the first half depressed me quite a bit. I do recommend this movie and hope those who are on the fence about watching this to give it a watch. I think it is quite a good film.

There are certainly some parallels between this film and Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung's Heart of Dragon. Both films were dramatic roles dealing with a caretaker having no choice in dealing with a mentally challenged relative and both were popular action stars getting a chance to expand their acting repertoire. This film also reminds me of Zhang Yang's underrated Shower in which the relationship between Er Ming and Liu parallels that of the two main characters here. There is also a water motif present in both films though I think the allegory is stronger in Shower and more matter-of-fact here. I mention these films because both are interesting and different approaches to similar matter. Shower is also one of my favorite films.

I saw this on the R1 Well Go DVD release. But there is also a R1 BD/DVD combo available from Well Go which should have the same extras. For the extras there is an 11 minute "Making of" extra which has interviews from Jet Li, Kwai Lun-mei, Wen Zhang and Xue Xiao-lu and inserted footage from the movie. It has some good information, but is ultimately too short. There is a trailer and a teaser for the movie as well. The start-up trailers (not accessible by menu) are 1911, The Stool Pigeon and The Man From Nowhere. I found a mistake in the description on the back cover which uses names for the two characters (Sam and David) that appear nowhere in the film and there is no English dub so I am not sure where they came from. The two dubs for this are a Mandarin 5.1 Dolby and a Mandarin Dolby Stereo. There is also an R3 Edko release of this film that came out in 2010.

It is hard to go from primarily western films to this, especially when so much of my context for asian cinema is in the action and kung fu or shootouts. Add to this learning that a woman director's first film, made it surprising because the film is so masterful. Of course she was bringing the most powerhouse collaborators from some of the best films of all time, the pedigree comes off like a wishlist of a film student, if asked, what would your dream movie would be like... Joe Hisaishi... Christopher Doyle... and a world renowned star subverting their whole persona. The thing is, nine times out of ten this is going to be a recipe for a disaster, and the film will fail. It will be too obvious, or too boring.

Why it works is because the tone is just right, it is both understated but stylized, the performances hits the exact right notes start to finish. I found Ocean Heaven refreshing in a timeless way, that even when I view acclaimed arthouse films of today from international directors, you know those ones that win all the awards, I do not really connect to them. They're too self-important, political, or cliche. Point is, it is difficult to achieve the right mix of elements in the voodoo process of filmmaking, something this film achieves.

That brings me to the reason everyone would talk about this, that is Jet Li's performance. If you have seen the dozens of films with him doing Kung Fu, you would not realize what a tremendous actor he is. It is unbelievable his most impressive feat is not the karate, but playing a father. He displays so much sensitivity and resilience at once. He is able to evoke a cinematic father that is impossible not to think about your own. Every gesture is elevating this movie into something far more meaningful than its modest tone. You could not imagine the movie with any other actor than Li and his son, played by Zhang When. The performance is like a masterpiece painting, from a source you didn't realize was there all along, you go of course, he is a man obsessed with excellence. I could not view his other films the same way after this, so I give props to the director for seeing what no one else saw.

When "Ocean Heaven" was released, it got great critical acclaim and positive word of mouth. I finally got to watch it, and it surpassed my expectations. There are a few films depicting autistic characters that I have watched, and this film has the most accurate and consistently convincing portrayal. Either the guy playing Dafu is really autistic, or he is a really good actor. The story tells how the father prepares his autistic soon to live independently. The father's unconditional love for his child, his unlimited patience and unrelenting care is very respectable. Anyone will be touched by him. The film also depicts the lives of ordinary citizens, with real problems, adding realism to the touching plot. I hope this great film will find a wider audience, because it deserves to be seen and appreciated.