Life (1984)

The book is even better but the movie is rather good in its own right. The lead actress, QiaoZhen is so well portrayed that you cannot help but to feel for her. The story is so ironically tragic that it is almost comical in a very sad way.

If you like movies from China this is a must from later "scar movies". The earlier scar movies, with the exception of "Tien Yun Shan Chuan Qi", tend to be propagadistic in trying to put all the blames of Cultural Rev on the G of Four. Ren Shen does not even talked about politics directly. It just shows how it could affect very ordinary people who are trying hard to secure a better life. With tragic results sometimes.

The part when Qiao Zhen insisted on the very traditional way of marriage after losing JiaLin is most heartbreaking.

Must watch. Must read the book too.

9 out of 10.