Gu wei

Personally, I was very emotional throughout many scenes in this movie. Mainly because I am a Chinese to Canada immigrant. The countless words in English cannot describe what I felt and what I am feeling after I watched this film. I felt connected, and for the first time, emotionally invested in this film. Although it is a Taiwanese film, our culture is not too different. I felt warmth from this movie, sadness, nostalgia, and it was, in a sense, relatable. If I did not have the background I do, I wouldn't be giving this movie such a high rating. The plot wasn't especially exceptional, and a lot of things may be confusing. However, it really tugs on my heartstrings. It opens my eyes to family connections, about letting go, and really impacted me because of certain experiences in real life. Overall, I found this a great film, but that is a complete personal opinion.

A drama from Taiwan. It is about a woman and her daughters who must perform the funeral rites of their ex-husband and father, unleashing the pain and kept secrets. Quality. Hard. Reflexive. Daily. Interpretative. Parsimonious in the extreme. At times you feel that nothing happens in more than two hours of movies, you must stay until the end. Talk about letting go of things from the past that hurt us, about forgiveness and love. About those things that we hope for and live each day being happy despite life's situations. Of family relationships and their disruptions. A detail that, as they all look alike, some stories become confusing and that some moments you must interpret. A film that shows that a woman's heart is a sea of love and secrets.

The movie did its job to hold a big concern with the mother for over 2 hours, & unfold smoothly at the end, & close nicely, revealing beautiful personas of each character, even the farther. What they did are just to carry out their responsibilities as a member in the family, a mother, a husband, a daughter & sisters, with all the love they have got, in their own way. There would be better solution for each situation that was draw out in the story, yet, all their fragile actions make the movie so emotional & warm.

I love the movie & how it was told.

As another reviewer already stated, there are certain universal truths that ring true to everyone, no matter where you are from or how you lived. Well for most that is - because family and the relationships therein are always complicated. There is always love of course (at least a little bit of that), but there is also a lot of regret ... how and where you go when one of the pieces go missing (expires/dies, however you want to put it).

It may confuse a little bit, but the drama is worth it. This is for everyone who likes things to be "real life" and feel as real as possible. Secrets get revealed, passions exposed and other things that were under the surface. Now while that might sound exciting and powerful - it is, but not in a strong fast way, but rather a slow paced burning ... if you can dig that, you'll love the movie. If not ... well it's obvious isn't it.

When an absent father dies, his daughters clash with their mother.

A family drama in Taiwan, far from the canons we're used to by Hollywood studios.

I am more and more attracted to slow-burners like this one, where we are treated, little by little, with the elements that build the narrative, in a very intelligent way.

The way it's structured allows the viewer to change their opinion about the developments that they see on screen, and to root for different characters, as the story unfolds.

It's mainly about reflection, morality and rigidity of tradition, and being at peace, on a personal level, and then with others, and letting life take the course it is supposed to.

The recurring flashbacks can be confusing sometimes, without the proper context.

There's no jaw-dropping twists, just surprises, that I personally liked. The final scenes are undoubtedly the highlight of the film, and well worth the wait.