Hi there, my first set of comments here...<br /><br />i just saw this movie at the Pusan Int'l Film Fest in Korea. got the tickets knowing nothing about the movie but its settings. sounded interesting at least, and since i'm Canadian, thought i would catch a movie from home...<br /><br />as the credits started rolling i was pleasantly surprised at how many names i knew attached to this film! and the drama starts early and really never lets down...<br /><br />this is a powerful film, both dramatically and aesthetically. a bit too "parental" in its narration -- i would like to have had the scenes speak for themselves a bit more -- but what happens in the film is memorable to say the least. a touch of lyricism mixed with very heavy, in-your-face visuals. you will squirm in scenes (ie. Lucy Liu giving birth alone on the side of a hill in a field... or the Chinese soldiers ripping apart bags of blood with their boots and rifles ... the body of an important character left in the mud...), but the squirming is part of the movie's overall experience. gotta love a movie that provides you with an "experience"! it packs a whallop, didactically speaking, and the story keeps you interested to the very end. i can't think of another movie that handles the theme of AIDS so well, so artistically. the actors should all get kudos for their work. keep an eye on this director my friends... he's someone to watch...