Often cited as China’s first independent feature film, this low-budget drama, filmed largely in the director’s Beijing apartment, depicts the life of a single mother (a topic considered taboo at the time) caring for her mentally challenged son. Shot with a documentary aesthetic that includes interviews with families of mentally challenged persons, the film helped kick-start the Sixth Generation of filmmakers (including Wang Xiaoshuai and Jia Zhangke) and their ethos of employing documentary realism to depict the true conditions of contemporary China.

• DirectorZhang Yuan
• Release1 May 1990
• GenreDrama
• Duration1h 29m
• Budget?
• Revenue?
• Rate
  

  6.8
  4 reviews
• Productions

  Xi'an Film Studio