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Shower Reviews

1999 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 880 members

This festival favorite from China tells the touching story of a father whose oldest son leaves him. He remains in Beijing, raising his retarded son and running the local bathhouse. When the elder son mistakenly hears that his father has passed away, he returns to Beijing, only to discover the extreme relevance of the bathhouse .. Read more

Starring Zhu Xu, Jiang Wu, Du Peng
Director Zhang Yang
Genres Drama, World Cinema

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  • Critics' reviews (5) of Shower

    View all
  • 3 stars out of 5

    Spicy Love Soup established Zhang Yang among China's most contentious indie directors. However, he's in a less abrasive mood with this obvious but amiable allegory, in which the nation's current obsession with consumerism is symbolised by the imminent closure of a traditional Beijing bathhouse to make way for a soulless shopping mall. City slicker Pu Quanxin's gradual conversion to his father and slow-witted brother's viewpoint hardly makes for incisive politicking. Yet Zhang treats us to a gallery of engaging elderly eccentrics who drink, gamble and gossip their days away — safe from the demands of their (unnecessarily shrewish) womenfolk and the uncaring bureaucrats.

    • Radio Times
  • It's a bit disconcerting that it starts with its most amusing scene - a daydream vision of the bath-house of the future... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • "...[Yang] provides some smart visual flourishes..."

    • Total Film
  • Most helpful members' reviews (3) of Shower

    View all
  • 15 out of 16 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Don't miss this film!

    I absolutely loved this film. Having read quite a bit about the last 100 years of Chinese history, then visiting last November to see the state of the country, I was pleasantly surprised at 'Shower's' invitation to peek into the intimacy between the family members and their small community.

    This film made me smile from the beginning to the end. It's delightful, moving, and sensitively portrays one of China's most delicate dilemmas today - the generation gap between the 20-somethings and their parents.

    I heartily encourage you to take the time to see it - it's well worth it!

      • A customer from Scotland
  • 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    A really likeable film!

    Entertaining, moving and funny in equal measure.

    This is a very pleasing film that gives the audience a look at some of the more forgotten effects of China's increasing modernity.

    A film almost impossible not to like.

      • mityo from London
  • 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Beautiful film

    I thoroughly enjoyed this film it was a gentle slice-of-life film with a difference. The actors were excellent, the story was moving and amusing, everything about it was superb.

    The prodigal son returns to find his father and retarded brother living and working happily in the bath-house they run. He is reluctant to stay, no longer fits in, yet somehow, the customers and his family exert their influence on him. When the whole neighbourhood is threatened with demolition and his father becomes ill, it falls upon him to look after his brother.

    I don't want to spoil it by saying any more, but I recommend this film to people who like something a little more gentle and amusing sometimes.

      • Tomoe from W Sussex
  • Most recent members' reviews (2) of Shower

    View all
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    makes you want to go there

    Good insight into Chinese culture. Well worth a watch.

      • A customer from England
  • 15 out of 16 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Don't miss this film!

    I absolutely loved this film. Having read quite a bit about the last 100 years of Chinese history, then visiting last November to see the state of the country, I was pleasantly surprised at 'Shower's' invitation to peek into the intimacy between the family members and their small community.

    This film made me smile from the beginning to the end. It's delightful, moving, and sensitively portrays one of China's most delicate dilemmas today - the generation gap between the 20-somethings and their parents.

    I heartily encourage you to take the time to see it - it's well worth it!

      • A customer from Scotland
  • 15 out of 16 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Don't miss this film!

    I absolutely loved this film. Having read quite a bit about the last 100 years of Chinese history, then visiting last November to see the state of the country, I was pleasantly surprised at 'Shower's' invitation to peek into the intimacy between the family members and their small community.

    This film made me smile from the beginning to the end. It's delightful, moving, and sensitively portrays one of China's most delicate dilemmas today - the generation gap between the 20-somethings and their parents.

    I heartily encourage you to take the time to see it - it's well worth it!

      • A customer from Scotland
  • 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    A really likeable film!

    Entertaining, moving and funny in equal measure.

    This is a very pleasing film that gives the audience a look at some of the more forgotten effects of China's increasing modernity.

    A film almost impossible not to like.

      • mityo from London
  • 5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Beautiful film

    I thoroughly enjoyed this film it was a gentle slice-of-life film with a difference. The actors were excellent, the story was moving and amusing, everything about it was superb.

    The prodigal son returns to find his father and retarded brother living and working happily in the bath-house they run. He is reluctant to stay, no longer fits in, yet somehow, the customers and his family exert their influence on him. When the whole neighbourhood is threatened with demolition and his father becomes ill, it falls upon him to look after his brother.

    I don't want to spoil it by saying any more, but I recommend this film to people who like something a little more gentle and amusing sometimes.

      • Tomoe from W Sussex
  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Simple but effective

    Spend a little time with this film and you soon wish you lived round the corner from the bath house it depicts. If you like Chinese cinema in the seemingly laid back but actually a bit of an emotional rollercoaster type of style then you'll love this.

      • A customer from uk
  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Interesting

    I found this film surprisingly interesting and perhaps because of the original subject matter, despite the hammy acting, it is very watchable.

      • Woolly from London
  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 3 stars

    makes you want to go there

    Good insight into Chinese culture. Well worth a watch.

      • A customer from England
  • Rated - 5 stars

    It made me wet

    lovable characters, and a good natured storyline make this a top quality feel good film. Brings back my faith in human nature.

      • John Artley from Cambridgeshire
  • Rated - 3 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    Endearing

    Nice humble little film set in a suburb of China. The acting was a bit wooden but it was quite believable, touching in moments and inspirational in others. Two characters setting their pet crickets against each other added to the homely style of the film.

    No fast action, slow paced and at times peculiar owing to the jump to another land suddenly, which was not fully explained, and spoiled the totality of the film

    Worth watching however, really lovely ending......one of those feel good films

      • Fynski from York
  • Rated - 4 stars

    a chinese feelgood film

    This is a moving, often funny social drama about a Chinese community centred around an old bathhouse run by a father and his learning disabled son. It reflects on how times are inevitably changing in China. It is beautifully acted and shot. Not for anyone who dislikes subtitles or wants lots of action

      • A customer from perthshire
  • Rated - 4 stars

    Lovely!

    Really enjoyable film. Nothing spectacular occurrs but even the most general happenings in a bath house in a small Chinese town are going to be interesting for an English veiwer This film includes mental disability, death and relationship breakdowns but all is done in a light and endearing way. Strangely uplifting.

      • A customer from Manchester
  • Critics' reviews (5)

  • 3 stars out of 5

    Spicy Love Soup established Zhang Yang among China's most contentious indie directors. However, he's in a less abrasive mood with this obvious but amiable allegory, in which the nation's current obsession with consumerism is symbolised by the imminent closure of a traditional Beijing bathhouse to make way for a soulless shopping mall. City slicker Pu Quanxin's gradual conversion to his father and slow-witted brother's viewpoint hardly makes for incisive politicking. Yet Zhang treats us to a gallery of engaging elderly eccentrics who drink, gamble and gossip their days away — safe from the demands of their (unnecessarily shrewish) womenfolk and the uncaring bureaucrats.

    • Radio Times
  • It's a bit disconcerting that it starts with its most amusing scene - a daydream vision of the bath-house of the future... read more on Time Out

    • Time Out
  • "...[Yang] provides some smart visual flourishes..."

    • Total Film
  • "...A lovely appreciation of Asian [culture]..."

    • Entertainment Weekly
  • "...[A] sweet but serious comedy..."

    • New York Times

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    • This festival favorite from China tells the touching story of a father whose oldest son leaves him. He remains in Beijing, raising his retarded son and running the local bathhouse. When the elder son ...

Rating breakdown

880 Member ratings
  • 100
135
  • 90
100
  • 80
218
  • 70
141
  • 60
107
  • 50
60
  • 40
38
  • 30
28
  • 20
36
  • 10
17

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