A peasant wife's tireless pursuit of justice for the assault of her husband takes her through the ever-twisting labyrinth of the Chinese justice system which seems incapable of delivering her the verdict she feels is justified. Yimou's neorealist approach to this means that it's relatively light on story as we watch Qiu Ju travel from court to court but it allows him to take a more observational and informal approach to everything. Gong Li is strikingly naturalistic, lending the whole film an almost documentary feel with her performance as a woman constantly questioning why she and her husband are not being afforded the justice from the court system and the village chief all while expecting a child. Reminds me quite a bit of something like the Dardennes brothers with their humanist stories of moral quandaries. An excellent film that makes me excited to dive further into Yimou's catalog.

A peasant wife's tireless pursuit of justice for the assault of her husband takes her through the ever-twisting labyrinth of the Chinese justice system which seems incapable of delivering her the verdict she feels is justified. Yimou's neorealist approach to this means that it's relatively light on story as we watch Qiu Ju travel from court to court but it allows him to take a more observational and informal approach to everything. Gong Li is strikingly naturalistic, lending the whole film an almost documentary feel with her performance as a woman constantly questioning why she and her husband are not being afforded the justice from the court system and the village chief all while expecting a child. Reminds me quite a bit of something like the Dardennes brothers with their humanist stories of moral quandaries. An excellent film that makes me excited to dive further into Yimou's catalog.

The story of Qiu Ju takes us in another direction than Yimou's previous 3. You can see the development of Gong Li and refreshing to see her in a different light, she is great in this film (also one of the best parts of it).

While this movie is not as heavy in cinematography, colors, or symbolism, it moved me in a different way than the others. Following Qiu Ju as a fish out of the water, nearly longing for simpler times and emphasizing the importance of community, that is the film's touching emotional core. It's also a great insight into Chinese modern society and the contrast between Country folk and the big cities.

What I thought to be a big drop in quality just based on the premise, showed the mastery of Yimou. He elevates a simple feud Between two village people to a great commentary on Chinese society, like its quick advancement, the one-child policy, and social classes. - It's crazy how wanting a simple honest apology becomes something totally different when put through the system.

Also great wholesome moments between good people.I'm debating rating it higher, but due to it not being a special cinematic achievement or lacking the things mentioned before it will be a 4/5 for now. That being said it surprised me with a great story, dialog, insight, and commentary.

The story of Qiu Ju takes us in another direction than Yimou's previous 3. You can see the development of Gong Li and refreshing to see her in a different light, she is great in this film (also one of the best parts of it).

While this movie is not as heavy in cinematography, colors, or symbolism, it moved me in a different way than the others. Following Qiu Ju as a fish out of the water, nearly longing for simpler times and emphasizing the importance of community, that is the film's touching emotional core. It's also a great insight into Chinese modern society and the contrast between Country folk and the big cities.

What I thought to be a big drop in quality just based on the premise, showed the mastery of Yimou. He elevates a simple feud Between two village people to a great commentary on Chinese society, like its quick advancement, the one-child policy, and social classes. - It's crazy how wanting a simple honest apology becomes something totally different when put through the system.

Also great wholesome moments between good people.I'm debating rating it higher, but due to it not being a special cinematic achievement or lacking the things mentioned before it will be a 4/5 for now. That being said it surprised me with a great story, dialog, insight, and commentary.

Cute. I lvoe that this movie was literally just her deciding to file some papers and waddle around in the cold bundled up in layers and layers of floral jackets. One of the only movies I can say I took a calm 15m nap and I don’t regret it and I still fully enjoyed the movie
Scarf goals :)

Cute. I lvoe that this movie was literally just her deciding to file some papers and waddle around in the cold bundled up in layers and layers of floral jackets. One of the only movies I can say I took a calm 15m nap and I don’t regret it and I still fully enjoyed the movie
Scarf goals :)