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Sunflower

Play trailer Poster for Sunflower Released Aug 17, 2007 2h 9m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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69% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
When Chairman Mao dies, many men jailed during his regime are released, including artist Zhang Gengnian (Sun Haiying), who comes back to his wife, Xiuqing (Joan Chen), and son, Xiangyang (Zhang Fan), after a long absence. There is unease in the family home, though, as Xiangyang is mistrustful of the father he barely knows and Gengnian is no longer able to paint after years of forced labor. Xiangyang begins to excel at art, which could either bring him closer to his father or widen the schism.

Critics Reviews

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Jeff Shannon Seattle Times The film's father-son friction grows occasionally repetitious, but it springs from a sensitive, well-written melodrama that earns its emotions with tender sincerity. Rated: 3/4 Jan 4, 2008 Full Review Jason Anderson Globe and Mail Sunflower succeeds as both a moving family drama and a microcosm of China's social history since the 1970s. Rated: 3/4 Sep 21, 2007 Full Review Frank Scheck The Hollywood Reporter Although filled with a plethora of dramatic events, including earthquakes and floods, the film never achieves real dramatic momentum, due in large part to its needlessly sluggish pacing. Sep 10, 2007 Full Review Prairie Miller NewsBlaze An odd combination of sociopolitical metaphor and conventional melodrama, Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yang's Sunflower has moments of keen insight and power touching on the ways in which human character and personality are shaped by historical experience. Jun 10, 2008 Full Review Liz Braun Jam! Movies There is so much going on in Sunflower that you may want to see it more than once. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 21, 2007 Full Review Eric Monder Film Journal International Whatever the movie lacks in sociopolitical insight, it makes up for with moving storytelling. Aug 27, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member oh my gosh... that father. I just wanted to punch his lights out... but he did do it out of love, a selfish way. got really frustrating to watch. the very typical depiction of how the Asian family and how strict it can be. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Nice traditional Chinese family drama weight on the parents as frienemies Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member "A journery worth Voyageing." Sunflower Is a Hidden Gem i found sitting on a shelf Collecting dust at my nearest Local Library. I have to admit i wasn't sure what to expect, even reading the back cover i was baffled at the lack of description it gave me. China's best Kept secret Zhang Yang Directed this heartfelt tale that most can relate to about the shakey ground of parenting and childhood. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Chinese drama about a father, returned from 6 years in a work camp, and his son, who's going to be an artist like dad whether he likes it or not. Interesting, and no doubt fully approved by the Chinese government. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member Great and touching, try to take a look at this one. Je l'ai vu sur ARTV à 2AM ;p Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Long movie but you get a deep understanding of the family dynamic during the Cultural Revolution. Everyone had it tough! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Sunflower

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Movie Info

Synopsis When Chairman Mao dies, many men jailed during his regime are released, including artist Zhang Gengnian (Sun Haiying), who comes back to his wife, Xiuqing (Joan Chen), and son, Xiangyang (Zhang Fan), after a long absence. There is unease in the family home, though, as Xiangyang is mistrustful of the father he barely knows and Gengnian is no longer able to paint after years of forced labor. Xiangyang begins to excel at art, which could either bring him closer to his father or widen the schism.
Director
Yang Zhang
Producer
Peter Loehr, Sanping Han
Screenwriter
Yang Zhang, Shangjun Cai, Xin Huo
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Chinese
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 17, 2007, Limited
Release Date (DVD)
May 17, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA)
$23.3K
Runtime
2h 9m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital