Why you can trust 12DOVE
Laden with festival awards, Shower is one of a new breed of Chinese films aiming to tell modern, urban stories. This contemporary fable relates how a businessman Da Ming (Zhu Xu) returns to the old-fashioned Beijing bathhouse run by his elderly father Liu (Pu Cun Xin). The pace of life is fairly relaxed for the regulars - - gossiping, drinking tea and racing crickets. Liu's health is fading, however, and property developers are closing in...
A tale of traditional values threatened by progress and of the need for reconciliation between generations, Shower is directed by pop video helmer Zhang Yang, who provides some smart visual flourishes.
Yet, despite calmly restrained turns from the two leads, the antics of the supporting characters prove tiresome and unfortunately dilute the film's emotional power.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.

"It's almost like printing money": Former Sony exec says PC ports of PlayStation games are too valuable to ignore, and he wanted to see more first-party games come to PC

Lord of the Rings life sim Tales of the Shire delayed again, now coming in July: "Every detail will be just right"

Baldur's Gate 3 Lae'zel actor was "paranoid" about making the githyanki girlfriend’s voice "lower and lower" through Act 3 until she realized "it really works with her character development"