Shower

Lovely tale examining the clash between the old traditions of Chinese life and modern urban living. Mr Lui is happy running an old bath house helped by his mentally handicapped son, when his other son returns from the city to pay a visit. What follows is a charming dissection of family life. The theme of water runs throughout the movie and the threat of demolition to the family home and business to make way for skyscrapers looms on the horizon. Charming, moving and topical.

The heart of the film is the relationship between father and sons and the bond that binds them is the bathhouse and ultimately water. That alone is a thing of beauty in the way it binds not just family but heals rifts in the community and brings them together.

Shower by Chinese director Zhang Yang is ultimately a look with taste of nostalgia and echoes of farewell at the vertiginous changes and inevitable clashes currently unfolding in China, a country now comforting the waning old deep-rooted tradition and the imposing new order defined by cold-hearted pragmatic modernisation.

The transition between the two is graphically depicted in the elderly Mr Liu's public bath house, an iconic landmark within the neighbourhood where the men chill out, bath, shower, discuss, argue, socialise and spend a great deal of time always in community.

The unexpected visit of Mr Liu's elder son Daming springs to the surface the sad reality of this rapid changing society. The quiet content of the first and the material aspirations of the other and the conflicts generated by these two almost irreconcilable worlds drive the core of the film forward. Intertwined flows the relationship of the two with Mr Liu's retarded younger son Erming. Here the once strong but fast-disintegrating Chinese family ties are candidly portrayed.

The film runs through cheerfully, with plenty of amusing moments and tenderness. The occasional visit to the distant past in the form of poignant memories reaffirms the sense of nostalgia and rewards the viewer with a delicate treat.

Performances by the lead actors are on the money, particularly Zhu Xu (Mr Liu). Once Zhu leaves the film for good an odd atmosphere a la Rain Man develops which somehow dilutes the wealth of credit until then deservedly earned.

A gentle and endearing tale of family and community.

Lots of funny moments, a sad one or two - but mostly simply lovely.

What a delight.

A lovely comical start, characters to warm to throughout the film. Although sad in one way, it is a lovely heart warming film... enjoy