Electric Shadows

This is a well done and moving picture about people who grew up around and have a passion for movies, in China in the 60's through the present. It starts when a young man, who leaves the country for the big city, becomes a water delivery boy who has a passion for films. On his way to see one, he cuts through an alley and crashes into a pile of bricks. A young woman is there, and she takes one of the bricks and hits him with it, knocking him out. He walkes up in a hospital, and the police are there to get his side of the story. He meets the woman again, and discovers she can't speak, and she asks him to take care of her fish, and gives him the key to her place. Baffled, he goes and finds her place covered with film star photos and movie clips, dvds, and other ephemera. He finds a diary in the form of a screenplay book and reads it. The story shifts, becoming a flashback, telling of the young woman's mother (who was an actress and a member of the Party, delivering news broadcasts), and of her life in a village near the mountain and desert. She has a child out of wedlock, and as the child gets older, has a friendship with a roughneck mischevious boy who also shares a passion for movies. How they break apart and come back together is the arc that we follow, as well as discovering what happens to the young woman's family as they grow older. The final fifteen minutes of the movie, as the pieces are finally put together, are well planned surprises and the conclusion very satisfying. The cinematography is lush and yet simple; you see the wide sweeping landscapes around the village, the outdoor movie theater that every one gathers together to see. Good acting, from the kids to the adults. Highly recommended!