Summer Palace

I remember watching this Ye Lou in theaters some 20 years ago. It was my first film of his on the big screen, so likely that clouded my judgment a little. Not that it's a bad film, but it doesn't stand up to his best work, and looking back at it now I feel it's leaning too much toward the rural Chinese arthouse films that still dominate the screens here.

The performances are nice and Yu Hong's journey feels thorough, but the cinematography is rather drab and there's a bit too much misery for a single film. Especially one that royally crossed the two-hour mark. It was a rather disappointing rewatch, but even Lou's lesser films are still worth a go.

[review pending]