Shower (1999)

Shenzhen businessman, Da Ming, goes home to Beijing when he thinks his father has died. He finds his father hard at work at the family's bathhouse (the false message was a ruse of Da's ... See full summary »

Director:

Yang Zhang

Writers:

Shangjun Cai, Yi'nan Diao

Stars:

Jiayi Du, Bing He, Wu Jiang

17 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jiayi Du
Bing He	...	He Zeng
Wu Jiang	...	Er Ming
Ding Li	...	Master Lin
Cunxin Pu	...	Da Ming
Xu Zhu	...	Master Liu

Storyline

Shenzhen businessman, Da Ming, goes home to Beijing when he thinks his father has died. He finds his father hard at work at the family's bathhouse (the false message was a ruse of Da's mentally-handicapped, exuberant brother, Er Ming, to get Da home). Da stays a couple days, observing his father being social director, marriage counselor, and dispute mediator for his customers and a boon companion to Er. Da is caught between worlds: the decaying district of his childhood and the booming south where he now lives with a wife who's not met his family. When Da realizes his father's health is failing and the district is slated for razing, he must take stock of family and future.

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Plot Keywords:

cricket the insect | police officer | steroid | hose | businessman | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Pyramide Films (French) Pyramide Films (French)

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin Italian

Release Date:

6 April 2000 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Shower

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$40,125, 9 July 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,153,271, 29 October 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imar Film, Xi'an Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

[All trivia items for this title are spoilers.]

User Reviews

Sacrifice and soul as well as humor characterize this beautiful film.

I just returned from seeing "Xizhao" and am still under its soulful spell. How rare to see a film of this calibre, unafraid of tenderness and caring, but at the same time not maudlin or overtly heavy-handed...and particularly rare when this feeling is among men...in this case, a father and his two grown sons, one retarded, the other estranged and ambitious. How these relationships, and others, unfold, how one son's willing sacrifice brings deep humanity into the limited life of the other is a joy to behold. In among all these machinations there is delightful humor in and around the bathhouse setting. I recommend this film unreservedly.