Debaixo da Àrvore de Espinheiro (2010)

I've seen a lot of young love films but this particular film, has to be the purest young love film that I have ever seen. This film also transports the viewer back in time, when values were different and love was approached differently.

Great acting from the cast, in particular, from the leads, in which this film was their acting debut. Shawn Dou was great as the hunky lead male (great smile!) and Zhou Dongyu was lovely as the naive lead female. My only gripe: the male lead character seemed to be a bit too perfect and angelic and it would have been nice to have some more dimension to his character.

Even though the film is set during the end of the Cultural Revolution, there isn't too much emphasis on politics. This is a pure love story at its best with the interactions between the main characters at the forefront.

The film also has amazing cinematography. The color palette isn't striking but there is a nice contrast between the village and the city landscapes.

Recommended for those who enjoy those simple and pure love stories.

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You should watch this movie if your like melodrama. I do and I did not care that it was slow moving. It is reminiscent of the older Chinese movies that are both sad and hauntingly beautiful. Although the story is not unique, what is outstanding about it is the realism of living during the Cultural Revolution with all the stringent rules and regulations. The lack of freedom to choose one's path in life, one's partner, and one's love sets the tone and mood for this movie. The risks this couple made to be together is what defines their love and makes this movie special. It will stay with you for awhile.

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One of my fav movies!

Okay, so this is a Zhang Yimou film so you should already have high expectations and this one absolutely delivered! The main leads' love story is so sweet and tragic. I cried so much it was insane. When she realizes he does really care for her because they spent the night together and when she didn't want to have sex he was perfectly content with just holding her in his arms.

One of the things I wanted to touch on is Zhou Dongyu's acting. I first saw her in Sparrow 麻雀 and honestly I felt her character was so whiney and the fake crying was just really bad. I think this is where having a good director and a good script really pulls its weight. Her acting was so good and when she cried it was really believable.

I will leave it at that because you should really watch it for yourself!

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A movie that released 14 years ago, yet the sentiment lives on like the fresh blooming of a hawthorn flower. My nature has scarce attachments to true-story films, but I stumbled upon this film out of boredom. I wanted to feel something, something new. A few things bothered me at first: there was barely any background music, the lighting was dark, and the slow pacing inclined my impatience to check the timestamps every 10 minutes. These impressions all dispersed in an instant by the hands of the plot's historical and emotional insightfulness. Sun and Jing's love story gave us a glimpse at life during China's cultural revolution movement. I harbored little memory of it from my history course, but my eyes have truly been opened to just how scant their freedom was. Having an opinion could put you in jail or under probation. One wrong move, thinking of a future is the last thing people think of. Everyone sacrifices a bit of their humaneness just to see a tomorrow. But ironically, humans will still yearn ways to stay human. I was at the edge of seat watching Jing and Sun's love story unfold. My heart especially goes for two scenes. First, the scene where Sun cuts his arm so Jing could receive medical care on her foot. The show initially displayed wholesome interactions between the two, so imagine my surprise when I watched this guy start to bleed quite a lot just for a girl he had met recently. Secondly, the ending. Sun dies of leukemia. I cannot tell you how tearjerking this was. He stuck a photo they took together previously up on the ceiling before his last breaths. His body was pale and inhumane, yet he shed his last tear after hearing Jing's voice. It was an ending I never expected, but still realistic considering the medical knowledge they had back then. One last note: I really admired the touch of characterism they gave for Sun's mother. How before she ended her own life, she wanted die looking pretty. It meant his mother cared about her reputation, but I guess it was just too unbearable at some point. Overall, I think all walks of life should watch Under the Hawthorn Tree once in their life. It reminds us of our roots. Even if you may not share the culture, the message remains universal: to realise gratitude for the freedom we swim in everyday, which was unfortunately something Sun and Jing never had.

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