Di jiu tian chang

'So Long, My Son' made in 2019 by Xiaoshuai Wang and presented at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2020 is proof that Chinese cinema is much more diverse and interesting than the mix of historical, martial arts or political propaganda movies that film lovers outside of China know superficially. It is a complex and ambitious film in itself, with a duration of 3 hours of projection, which is the first series of what is planned to become a trilogy that deals with the history of China and the impact of the great transformations that this huge country and its people has gone through in the last 40 years. On many respects the film is sincere and courageous in addressing historical processes and economic and social changes that have been paid for with a huge human price: the policies aimed at restricting families to at most one child per couple, and the transition from planned economy to capitalism market, with dramatic consequences in the lives of millions of Chinese workers who lost their dull but safe employment due to the closure or downsizing of state-owned enterprises, people forced to re-profile and migrate to ensure their livelihoods. The film's size and the ambitions of director Xiaoshuai Wang did not stop him from making a deeply human movie based on a well-written story anchored in China's recent history, with characters that viewers in China and anywhere else in the world can identify with.

We are following the saga of two families from northern China during over three decades, from the ideological relaxation and economic liberalization of the 1980s to the capitalist abundance and socio-economic inequalities of the present. The Liu and Chen families live in the same crowded house, they all work in the same factory, they are neighbors and friends, the two boys of the families were born on the same day and grew up as brothers. The two families symbolically represent different destinies in these times of change. The Liu family remains at the level of simple workers and then small entrepreneurs, they hardly survive the economic shocks that will cause them to migrate to the south of developing China but also a personal tragedy when their only child drowns. The Shen family is more adaptable, earlier the woman reaches a political leadership position, later they succeed economically and make a fortune. Although families break up to reunite only in the end, their destinies remain tied to a secret that cannot be forgotten or erased, perhaps only eventually forgiven.

The two actors who played the roles of the Liu couple impress with the depth, realism and sensitivity of performances. They also convinced the Berlin Festival jury, which awarded them both acting prizes, and I can understand the reasons. The tragedy of losing a child has been represented on screens before, but so far we have not seen such a deep interpretation of the consequences of the demographic policy of the only child at the level of the family cell. Those who see will hardly forget. Director Xiaoshuai Wang alternates the broad takes that describe the complex landscapes of a country in transformation and industrialization, with the intimate ones in the inhabited (but not private) spaces that become familiar to us in all details. Realism alternates with aesthetics and the results are remarkable. The props are chosen carefully, every detail counts. The makeup is perfect. If we pat attention we realize how the director visually expresses messages that he could not make explicit in words. For example, some of the factory-filmed scenes depicting the 1980s include an implicit critique of dullness of life, clothing uniformity and ideological regimentation. The narrative of the film is divided into two parts with different structures, which could belong to different movies. In the first two hours we reconstruct the story of the two families, the conflicts and their evolution in sequences of flashbacks that gradually compose the image and develop the characters. The last hour of the film describes the reunion that takes place in or near contemporaneity, and proposes a reconciliation and a resolution of conflicts. Personally, I liked the first part more, the solution in the end has something too idyllic and too forced which made it look not completely credible. I was left with the impression that Xiaoshuai Wang is a director of great strength and depth who when allowed to develop his artistic and historical vision can lead a movie to admirable results.

Chinese film 'So Long, my Son' opens with Yaoyun and Liyun, a couple in an industralised town during the 1980s, suffering a great personal tragedy. Some years later they have left their hometown and are living with their son in a port. Some years later still and they are returning for the first time to their hometown in order to see a dying friend. The gaps in-between are filled in by multiple flashbacks, during which we see the human costs of China's environmentally-sensible one-child policy; how the authorities attempt to crush personal expression; and the ramifications of Yaoyun and Liyun's tragedy.

All these flashbacks are difficult to keep track of, especially as they are not in chronological order. So from that aspect this is a film that would probably reward repeated viewing. Certainly I would be happy to see it again; as played by Jingchun Wang and Mei Yong, respectively, Yaoyun and Liyun are a likeable couple. Their circle of friends may be less well-developed, consisting of stock characters such as the fun-loving party girl, the free spirit and the blindly-loyal Party functionary, but they all add colour to the story. I also enjoyed the depiction of China's transformation and development over the two decades covered by the film.

I saw this in the cinema during the 2019 London Film Festival. While I certainly recommend it, I suggest waiting until you can watch it in your own home: at three hours long you will want to be as comfortable as you possibly can be!

An immense emotional masterpiece with intellectual vibrations which invites the audience, through the crossed gaze of several Chinese families, to question the universality of the feeling of filiation and the meaning of existence. A magisterial and bitter melodrama. 7/8 of 10.

Saw this at the Berlinale 2019, where it was part of the official Competition. Two prizes were awarded: Silver Bear for Best Actor (Wang Jingchun) and one Silver Bear for Best Actress (Yong Mei). Apart from the acting, it was very interesting to see China transform in thirty years time, albeit that we see only a rural part of China, far away from the big city centers, thus avoiding large scale business and touristic areas.

Showing China while undergoing a drastic change, is one of the main themes of this movie, if not the main one. From a side line we get to see the transformation in progress, going from a communist country towards modern (semi?) capitalism. Factories, workplaces and houses the people work and live in, seem carefully designed to be true to the reality of the times at hand, thereby demonstrating an admirable attention for details.

A perfect example was the factory closure. The gathering with the workers was very illustrative. It showed that such things went in communist times exactly as how it goes nowadays. The workers assembled can protest and find that the director must be sent away. The harsh reality was (of course) in communist times exactly as in our capitalist times. Jobloss overcomes the humble workers, as if it was a natural disaster. There is nothing they can do about it, regardless of all being called "comrades". Neither can help be found in communist textbooks and the principles of "worker's self management".

On the other hand, regarding the implicit second theme, the family related stories of the protagonists, the developments were difficult to follow for me. This was partly due to some unnecessary time jumps and flash backs, partly caused by not telling who-is-who when a new protagonist appears, partly because of me being unable to tell Chinese people apart. Though the story starts with a fatal drowning accident, the people involved will re-unite in the end and will live happily ever after, even when the real truth comes out thirty years later, and even after someone admits having played a dark role in the accident.

It is no problem to sit out the three hours this movie lasts, though not really involving on a human level. And it was certainly not moving or heart-breaking as per what other reviewers wrote. The ground cause for this psychological distance is (see above) the difficulties I had to follow the persons involved, besides the fact that their logic was failing on me a few times.

All in all, I was glad to have seen this movie, regardless of my problems with following the various personal story lines and their interwoven connections. The nearly three hours are easy to sit through, so no problem there. And the ending was a surprise (no details, no spoilers), particularly because it did not cause a hard break in relationships, despite there would have been ample reason for a break-up after admitting a few 30-year-old lies.

What a beautiful story about what it means to be a parent in this world and how we are all connected.

The story is told by jumping back and forth in time, a flow of scenes giving the viewer a glimpse of the changes in the life of a couple who lost their son and how they try to move on with this loss. Although they abondon old friends after the incident a connection remains and in the end the lives of this group of people comes full circle.

This film brings the message of everyone being connected to another and the importance to sincerely care about others to the screen in such a wonderful way with an incredible cast. The three hours felt so short but something still remains, just like in life when one is touched by the goodness of others.

Highly recommend this movie.