This is the story of four siblings. We see their present day individual lives as young adults in the capitol city of China, and through many long vivid flashbacks, we witness their early childhood living with their loving parents in a small Chinese village some 15 odd years previous.
The flashback segments are a work of art. The child actors are natural together as brother and sister, and the parents glow and radiate love and togetherness. Spoken or unspoken, we see the strong family bonds that exist. To say that the direction and acting are exceptional would be an understatement.
However, what prevents this movie from achieving greatness are the present day scenes.
The acting, the story telling, the execution of the plot are all second rate. Past and present do not seem to fit in the same movie, because the segments from the past are crafted so well, while the present day segments are poorly made.
This movie should have been great. It almost was.
The flashback segments are a work of art. The child actors are natural together as brother and sister, and the parents glow and radiate love and togetherness. Spoken or unspoken, we see the strong family bonds that exist. To say that the direction and acting are exceptional would be an understatement.
However, what prevents this movie from achieving greatness are the present day scenes.
The acting, the story telling, the execution of the plot are all second rate. Past and present do not seem to fit in the same movie, because the segments from the past are crafted so well, while the present day segments are poorly made.
This movie should have been great. It almost was.