Ni hao, Li Huanying

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

"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!

The highest grossing film of 2021 so far is a sincerely crafted & emotionally uplifting story of love, loss, family, regret & wish fulfilment that centres on a mother-daughter bonding and is curated with heart & compassion. Packed with laughs yet capable of tugging the heartstrings, it is a sweet, simple & sentimental family drama that works as advertised.

Co-written & directed by Jia Ling in her directorial debut who also stars as the lead, the film uses the time travel framework only to transport itself into the past where it works on reforging the relationship between a woman & her mother. It's a safe play but the script is witty throughout and its emotional authenticity shines through, thus making it a pleasant delight for all.

Ling is fantastic throughout, both in front & behind the camera and her performance is the glue that holds this story together. Her grip on comedic elements is also spot-on for the most part. The 1980s setting plays to its strength. All supporting roles are well-drawn & finely acted. And the central relationship is captured with honesty. Still, its pacing is uneven at times and it sure is overlong.

Overall, Hi, Mom makes for a lovely tribute from a daughter to her mother and brims with all the ingredients that's required for it to be a crowdpleaser. A typical fare by all means, the film in many ways is far from the best version of itself yet its arrival is apt & fitting as it exudes a familial warmth & sense of community that many viewers lost in this raging pandemic, and it is bound to move & resonate with some of them if not all.

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 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.