Xiang ri kui (2005)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Yang Zhang

Writers:

Shangjun Cai (writer)
Xin Huo (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

17 August 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Voice Over Narration | Estranged Parent | Chinese Chess | Sun Flower | 1990s

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Joan Chen	...	Zhang Xiuqing
Zhang Fan	...	Zhang Xiangyang - 9 years old
Ge Gao	...	Zhang Xiangyang - 19 years old
Wang Haidi	...	Zhang Xiangyang - 30 years old
Jing Liang	...	Xiangyang's wife
Bin Li	...	Xiao Ji Shi
Zifeng Liu	...	Old Liu
Haiying Sun	...	Zhang Gengnian
Hong Yihao

Directed by
Yang Zhang

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Shangjun Cai		writer
Xin Huo		writer
Yang Zhang		writer

Produced by
Yong Er	....	line producer
Sanping Han	....	producer
Peter Loehr	....	producer
Buting Yang	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Hai Lin

Cinematography by
Jong Lin

Film Editing by
Hongyu Yang

Production Design by
Bin An
Xin Ming Huang

Production Management
Jiakun Zhang	....	production manager

Sound Department
Peng Jiang	....	sound recordist
Shuo Mao	....	sound
Gang Wang	....	sound
Lala Wu	....	sound
Ying Zhao	....	sound

Production Companies

• China Film Group
• Fortissimo Films
• Ming Productions

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Alberto Bitelli Intl. Films (2006) (Brazil) (all media)
• Divisa Home Video (2008) (Spain) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Sunflower (International: English title)

Runtime:

Canada:129 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

Hong Kong | China | Netherlands

Language:

Mandarin | English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:14

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company:

China Film Group

Trivia:

Xiangyang's paintings at the exhibition were done by the contemporary Chinese artist, Zhang Xiaogang.

Conventional but sweet

Yang Zhang's film 'Sunflower' explores the changing face of China over thirty years, seen through the prism of a stormy father-son relationship. The authority of family has always been important in traditional Chinese culture, so this is a believable conflict in a story of China entering the modern age. However, the movie is not especially subtle, the father figure does little more than assert that others should do what he asks them, and the use of Western music is disappointing, it doesn't feel like the soundtrack of these characters' lives. I still enjoyed the film, the story is never forced and it gives one a flavour of how one might imagine life in China to be. But at heart it's a conventional tale.