Enan no musume (2001)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Kaoru Ikeya

Release Date:

21 December 2003 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot Keywords:

Chinese Cultural Revolution | Red Guards | Adoption | Poverty | Sent Down Generation

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

He Haixia	...	Herself
Yuling Huang	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Daughter from Yan'an (Europe: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

Germany:120 min (Berlin Film Festival)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Mandarin

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Company:

NHK

3 stars (out of 4)

As a result of the Cultural Revolution in China, thousands of young people were "sent down" to Yan'an to learn from the farmers. These young people were forbidden love or sexual contact, so when He Haixia was born, her parents were forced to abandon her for her own safety. This documentary tells the story of He Haixia trying to connect with her biological parents 28 years later.

The film is more complex than just a reunion, both because it is hard to track people down after so long and because her biological parents did not marry each other. In fact, I found it confusing at times to keep the people and places straight. But the emotions of He Haixia and at least one other person (not to give too much away) are moving at times, and some of the country scenery is very beautiful.

The film's director and producer were present at the screening on 11/7/2002 at the 2002 Hawaii International Film Festival to answer questions. They said that the film took about 3 years to make, including 6 months just getting to know some of the people. They also said that the only reason the Chinese government allowed them to make this film is because a reunion was expected to be a happy event. They do not believe that it will be easy to get the film actually seen in China, and welcome anyone who can help them in that goal. Surprisingly, they also said that many people living in China today do not know about the Cultural Revolution.