Title: Good, not great
Product review: This movie has some elements of an excellent movie -- the scenery and acting are fantastic -- but the good qualities are ultimately overwhelmed by melodrama. Particularly the last hour is a transparent set-up culminating in a manipulative ending. It is a shame really that this movie went the path of melodrama, because an honest portayal of sent-down youth would be extremely interesting. There is no doubt of the insanity of the Cultural Revolution, but the reality was far more complicated than Joan Chen wants to portray here. Ironically, she seems in the end to be making a anti-PRC film as propaganda driven as anything originating from the Cultural Revolution. Those interested in a film dealing with events from this time period would be better served by watching Zhang Yimou's To Live, which is a FAR superior movie.
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