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Would you save your daughter or your son first?
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| Xu Fan's powerhouse turn. |
At a glance:
Chinese filmmakin ace Feng Xiao Gang (
Assembly 2007,
The Banquet
2006) has made IMAX screens in China a rippling goldmine with the Hua Yi
Brothers-backed
Aftershock 唐山大地震 - a tearjerkin triumph of Mainland cinema
that is at once more marketable to other regions than the usual fare
due to its high production values. It also bears the unlikely
distinction of being the first IMAX film that isn't created Stateside. Drawing
from the 1976 Great Tangshan earthquake that had a death toll which is
controversially contested up until today to be anything from 200,000
lives to three times that,
Aftershock is a fictionalised story set
during a real-life event (like
Titanic 1997) and benefits from the
unflinching powerhouse portrayal of the filmmaker's actress wife Xu Fan
(
One Foot Off The Ground 2006,
The Founding Of A Republic 2009) as a
mother who had to painfully choose between saving her son or saving her
daughter during the atrocities of natural disaster. It is a strong,
textured drama with very decent CGI work that doesn't detract from the
primary focus of buildin on themes of guilt, abandonment, closure and
redemption - essentially a film all of the Chinese diaspora worldwide
can relate to. Sparin you a more detailed synopsis is
probably the best idea considerin its epic landscape of a story that
encompasses events such as Mao Zedong's death.
Bad news on the doorstep:
Ahh I jumped the gun on this one, me. I came back from the Singaporean premiere with a chest stirrin with emotions and gave it five stars. When the euphoria died down I realised I was very impressionable. I blame Xu Fan's incredible performance.
Perennial wonderment:
Just how far have we come from the traditional patriarchal importance of a male heir? Not far, I assure you.
Amacam joker, berapa bintang lu mau kasi?
The five-star performances in
Aftershock (includin
Zhang Jing Chu's role as the adult daughter) are a definitely highlight,
not to mention its high entertainment value in balancin drama and
action, just like
Assembly. One can only hope that movies such
as this, despite the fiction, serve to remind people the importance of
family and just how much emotional resonance is left behind by natural
disasters.
Aftershock is a first grade tearful testament to that.
Bonus material:
Bad news on the doorstep:
The five-star performances in Aftershock (includin
Zhang Jing Chu's role as the adult daughter) are a definitely highlight,
not to mention its high entertainment value in balancin drama and
action, just like Assembly. One can only hope that movies such
as this, despite the fiction, serve to remind people the importance of
family and just how much emotional resonance is left behind by natural
disasters. Aftershock is a first grade tearful testament to that.
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