Why you can trust 12DOVE
"A pure and simple love story" is Chinese director Zhang Yimou's description of his Berlin prize-winner, which seeks to uphold the values of a less materialistic age. The prologue sees businessman Luo (Sun Honglei) return to the village where he grew up for the funeral of his father. With his mother insisting that her husband's coffin be carried rather than driven back from hospital, Luo remembers the story of his parents' courtship decades earlier...
Shifting from black-and-white (present) to colour (the past), and concentrating on its central female character (played as a youngster by Zhang Ziyi), this is a lyrical, if sentimental, account of romantic love.
It's most affecting in its attention to details, be it the repair of a beloved bowl or the preparation of favourite dishes. And in Ziyi, star of the forthcoming Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Zimou may have unearthed a muse to rival Gong Li.
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.
The Inside Out 2 panic attack scene is one of the best depictions of anxiety ever – and something Pixar director Kelsey Mann is incredibly proud of: "I couldn't be happier"
When making Kingdom Hearts, the "one thing" RPG icon Tetsuya Nomura "wasn't willing to budge on" was a non-Disney protagonist
The Witcher fans in shambles after a new book reveals just how old Geralt really is