"Aftershock" by Feng Xiaogang | 2010

We must pay tribute to this film, the picture of Feng Xiaogang is truly dramatic, although not without signs of the genre of naive art. The event resembles the traditional melodramas of Indian production, the tragedy separated the loved ones and, years later, having met again, they indulge in the strongest emotional empathy, the purpose of which can only be forgiveness for which there was no hope. In contrast to the Indian cinema, the Chinese did it on a down-to-earth basis and there were no songs and rhythmic dances. Perhaps that is why the film is really realistic.

The film shows two earthquakes, and they are not invented, both marked in the history of China. The first comes at the very beginning and it is fateful for the main characters, although the film is not about that, but about how, after the terrible consequences of this natural disaster, the mother has to make an unimaginable choice that will simply destroy the child in the innocent soul of a devoted little girl. But now the mother and especially the younger brother of that very girl, in the subsequent endeavor and in caring for each other, always do the right thing, they will learn to swallow a sense of their own guilt. All this, of course, without success, but the illusion that it turns out, helps to somehow live with this suffering.

It seems to me that the film explains a lot in the mentality of the country in which it happened. Patience, dedication to the family, deep respect for the family and the memory of their dead, fantastic diligence, faith in the greatness of their own country, the complete lack of a habit of blaming fate, make this country a unique nation. It’s hard for us to understand that.

Movie trailer available on YouTube channel at this link

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