Taking Father Home (2006)

Genres - Drama  |   Sub-Genres - Road Movie  |   Run Time - 100 min.  |   Countries - China  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Mark Deming

A young man embarks on a quest to find the father who left him behind in this independent drama from China. When Xu Yun was 11 years old, his father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for him and his siblings all by herself. Six years later, Xu Yun (Xu Yun) decides to leave his rural hometown behind to travel to the big city of Zigong in search of his father, despite his mother's objections. With nothing to go on but an address in the city where father once lived -- an apartment block called the Happiness Hotel -- Xu Yun arrives in Zigong and is soon befriended by Scar (Wang Jie), a gruff street thug with a soft heart, and a cop (Liu Xiaopei) who is sympathetic to his story. Both try to help the young man, but warn him that his search is probably hopeless -- Zigong is a place where a man can easily hide if he doesn't want to be found, especially given the fact an expected flood is forcing authorities to evacuate the city in 24 hours. First-time director Ying Liang made Bei Ya Zi De Nan Hai (aka Taking Father Home) using an amateur video camera and an amateur cast and crew; the film went on to become a success at international film festivals, and received its United States premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.

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