Zuotian (2001)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Yang Zhang

Writers:

Xin Huo (writer)
Yang Zhang (writer)

Release Date:

1 March 2002 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An actor becomes increasingly introverted and psychotic and his entire family attempts to intervene.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Actor | Chinese | Mental Institution | Drug Addiction

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Xiuling Chai	...	Hongshen's mother
Fengsen Jia	...	Hongshen's father
Hongshen Jia	...	Hongshen
Tong Wang	...	Hongshen's sister
Shun Xing	...	Jia's roommate

Also Known As:

Quitting (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for drug content.

Runtime:

Spain:114 min | USA:112 min

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Spain:13 | USA:R

Company:

Iman Film Company

Movie Connections:

Features Taxi Driver (1976)

Well worth it!

Films concerning the problems of alcohol and drug addiction are as cliched as cowboy films and the propaganda films put out during WWII. But, this one is a cut above the rest. The focus is not on the lead character's addiction, but more on how his family deals with it. I guess in China, the family is most important, and the father and mother go to unbelievable lengths to help their son. Not that they give him everything he asks for, although they give him more than one would expect, but they certainly give him everything that they think he needs. I thought that the father's floundering attempts to understand his boy though the son's music was very touching. Also, the shift from 'film mode' to 'theater mode' was an interesting way to convey the story. It's unfortunate that this film did not come with a commentary. A film concerning issues this painful and personal must have created some strange situations with the characters playing themselves.