Reviews

My mom took me to see this the month it came out (I have, or had, a button and poster to prove it). A huge mistake on both our parts. No young and impressionable kid should watch this masterpiece of the mid-eighties with their parents. Matthew Broderick guides all of us who need a day off from school on how to avoid the nonsense of doctors' offices, homework, dull classes and the like as he enjoys time better spent with his best friend - an actual sick person - his girlfriend, and a car that is so choice (the real tragedy of the film?).
Oh, yeah...
You have to see him enjoy his day off.

不要看

..

Nice

“The Taebaek Mountains”: The Ordeals and Lamentations of the Korean Peninsula — the Land of Three Thousand Ri

Wang Qingmin
Contents
The Background, Characteristics, and Influence of The Taebaek Mountains
The Repeated “Changes of Flags” in Beolgyo-eup, South Jeolla Province: Beginning with the Yeosu–Suncheon Incident
The Land Issue: The Focal Point of Political Struggles and Ideological Confrontation on the Korean Peninsula, and the Root of Life-and-Death Struggles Among the People
Trusteeship and Division: The Great-Power Rivalry Among the United States, the Soviet Union, China, Japan, and Others That Created the Korean Peninsula’s Division and Bloodshed
The Turbulence in Beolgyo and the Entire Southern Peninsula: Conflicts of Interest, Conscience and Positions, Uprisings and Suppression, Clashes and Betrayals
The Nobility of Ideals and the Filth of Practice: The Original Aspirations of Left-Wing Forces/Communists, and Their Later Distortion, Internal Fragmentation, and Degeneration into Ugliness
The Castles in the Air of a “Communist Paradise on Earth” and the Hellish Reality Under Red Totalitarianism
The Red Revolution Has Yet to Succeed, and the Illusory Beautiful Dream Has Already Begun to Dissolve
Comprehensive Review of The Taebaek Mountains: Emotional Yet Objective, Writing a Tragic National Epic and Illuminating the Complexity of Human Fate
The End of the Drama Is Not the End of Events: Half a Century of Turbulent Transformations on the Peninsula, and the Reflections and Advancement of the Korean People
Han Chinese China and the Korean Peninsula: The Similarities and Differences in National Destinies, and the Subtle Connections of Human Hearts and Social Sentiments
The Trajectory of the Chinese Communist Movement / The Similarities and Differences Between the Rise and Rule of the Chinese Communist Party and That of North Korea
Looking Back at 1945–1949: The Misjudgment, Naivety, and “Soft-Heartedness” of the Republic of China Government and the Chinese People—Key Reasons That Allowed the CCP to Seize Power and Led China into Decline
The Present Differences Between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Korea: Not Only in Material Wealth and Scarcity, but Also in the Brightness of Values, the Depth of Thought, the Rise and Decline of Culture, and the Virtues of the People (with examples comparing attitudes of Koreans and Chinese after the Gwangju Uprising and the June Fourth Incident)
Korea and Taiwan: Similar Historical Destinies, Different Ethnic Temperaments, and Divergent Choices in Domestic and Foreign Policy
Two Suffering Peoples Meeting in Arms: The Longstanding Yet Unnecessary Conflicts and Confrontations Between China and Korea
Vietnam’s Tragedy of Division and Pain of Reunification: Vietnam’s Fortunes and Misfortunes, External Intervention and Withdrawal, Historical Turning Points, the Reflections of Elites and the Apathy of the Masses, and the Nation’s Continuing Confusion and Struggle
Returning to Contemporary Korea: The Twists of Civil Rights and the Surges of Progress, Seeking New Paths Amid New Difficulties

“Living the Land”: A Homeland That Is Ancient, Impoverished, Afflicted—Yet Endlessly Alive
In February 2025, during the Berlin International Film Festival, I watched Living the Land (《生息之地》), a film directed by Huo Meng (霍猛) and produced by Yao Chen (姚晨). Only while watching did I realize that the film portrays precisely the customs and everyday life of my own hometown,Henan(河南). The familiar local accents, kinship ties and sorrows, folk customs, and interpersonal relations depicted on screen awakened my memories of the joys and griefs, births and deaths, illnesses and farewells of the elders and neighbors of my homeland.
The film’s overall tone is gray and subdued—and so, too, has been the long-term reality of life for the people of Henan. The story is set in 1991. At that time, people in Henan were still struggling for basic subsistence. After harvesting grain, they first had to queue up to hand over public grain to the government (a form of in-kind tax). They also had to give up good-quality grain to schools in order for their children to attend. Only what remained could be kept as limited rations and freely disposable portions. People worked diligently sowing and harvesting, laboring on the threshing grounds to dry grain under the sun, all the while worrying that sudden storms might ruin the harvest. This mode of life had persisted on this land for more than a thousand years, giving birth to countless generations of men and women and sustaining hundreds of millions of young and old alike.
From the village loudspeakers came broadcasts from China National Radio, reporting international news from faraway places—“Iraq attacks Kuwait,” “the collapse of Ethiopia’s Mengistu regime”—while what truly concerned the people here were weddings and funerals of relatives, whether there was rice left to cook at home, and the tuition fees needed to send children to school.
“Red affairs” (weddings and childbirth) and “white affairs” (the death of loved ones) are the matters people here value most, devote the most effort to, and observe with the most elaborate rituals. They are the paramount events for every household in ancient Henan and the Central Plains. These red and white affairs link life and death; they are the key processes through which people on this land—and on all lands of the world—reproduce and survive, transmit life and memory, maintain families and settlements, and pass down nations and cultures. This is precisely why Living the Land devotes such rich and emphatic portrayal to several funerals and celebrations, beginning with a funeral and ending with a funeral, perfectly aligning with the film’s title and central theme.
The characters in the film are vivid and alive, ordinary yet distinctive. The young protagonist, the child Xu Chuang (徐闯), has not yet had his spirit crushed by the weight of real life. He is innocent and energetic, cherished by his entire family—reflecting both the traditional preference for the youngest child and the sincere, intense familial affection characteristic of Henan’s rural culture.
The “Little Aunt” (小姨), the only major character dressed in bright colors, carries the love and dreams of a young woman, yet in the end has no choice but to, like her ancestors and many relatives, “follow the dog she marries”—to marry someone she does not love and endure an unhappy life in her husband’s family. She is a typical example of many people from my hometown who move from youthful dreams to resigned acceptance of reality.
The “Grandmother” (姥姥), Li Wangshi (李王氏), has endured decades of hardship yet continues to live with resilience and calm. She raised a large extended family; though she never even had a formal given name, her moral character surpasses that of many well-educated intellectuals. Her long life is like a quiet stream flowing on, with countless hardships softened and rendered invisible by feminine gentleness.
The “Aunt-in-law” (舅妈), who takes money from her meager income to pay school fees for the younger generation—this scene is something many children from my hometown have likely experienced. It is the older generation’s sacrifices that carve out space for the growth of the next, removing obstacles so that the rain may pass and the sky clear.
“Jihua” (计划), a person with intellectual disabilities whom nearly every village has, is mocked, bullied, and exploited, yet is kind at heart—the one who most conforms to natural instincts, without scheming or malice…
These characters and stories are precisely a microcosm of the diverse people and the joys and sorrows of life on this ancient land of Henan—a land that once had a glorious and brilliant history, has sunk repeatedly, yet continues to nurture its population and sustain life.
Some critics claim that Living the Land “displays China’s ugliness to please the West.” This does not accord with the facts. The characters and stories in the film do not present “only darkness”; they are multifaceted. What the film depicts is a faithful p

We Are All Strangers: The Joys and Sorrows of an Ordinary Singaporean Family and the Ups and Downs of Life
On February 19, 2026, I watched the Singaporean film We Are All Strangers(《我们不是陌生人》), which was screened at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival. This film, which tells the joys and sorrows of an ordinary Singaporean family, is sincere in emotion and rich in detail, and it moved me deeply. Therefore, I write this brief review to share my reflections.
The film takes as its main thread the stories of two couples. The middle-aged couple Boon Kiat and Bee Hwa, played by Andi Lim and Yeo Yann Yann, and the young lovers Junyang and Lydia, played by Koh Jia Ler and Regene Lim, both enter into marriage amid twists and turns. Yet before and after marriage, they are troubled by livelihood pressures, and their relationships evolve from simplicity to complexity, unfolding a dramatic tragicomedy of life’s ups and downs.
Family affection and romantic love are the most prominent themes of the film. Boon Kiat and Junyang are a father and son who depend on each other for survival. Like many teenagers, Junyang is rebellious, yet his father is always willing to tolerate and embrace him. When Junyang and his girlfriend “get into trouble” with an unexpected pregnancy and the girl’s family comes to their door, the financially strained Boon Kiat would rather borrow from loan sharks than allow his son’s wedding to be anything less than respectable.
Boon Kiat and Bee Hwa, this middle-aged couple, move from mutual affection to becoming husband and wife, experiencing the awkwardness of youth, the restraint of adulthood, and the mutual understanding and tolerance of an old married pair. From their marriage to Boon Kiat’s death, less than two years pass, yet their bond is deeply devoted, vividly illustrating the sentiment that even a short-lived marriage can carry affection as deep as the sea.
Junyang and Lydia’s romance and marriage, however, move from “dry tinder meeting flame” to gradual dullness, from throwing themselves into love without hesitation to passion fading away while livelihood worries become unavoidable. From carefree youth untouched by sorrow to words held back, even to facing each other in silence, with only tears streaming down. Yet as passion recedes and troubles multiply, the relationship, tested by hardship, becomes deeper and more layered. This is also the transformation many people experience from adolescence to adulthood, from young lovers to husband and wife.
An even more pivotal relationship is the familial bond between Junyang and Bee Hwa. The rebellious Junyang dislikes and looks down upon Bee Hwa, this “stepmother” who came from the background of a hostess, and he often offends her with his words. But after Boon Kiat falls ill and passes away, Bee Hwa manages the household, sells goods with forced smiles, and later takes responsibility for selling fake medicine on Junyang’s behalf and goes to prison. Only then does Junyang painfully realize that he has lost such a good mother. Bee Hwa is usually sharp-tongued and free-spirited, but in major matters she shows real courage and responsibility. Although Junyang is not her biological son, she loves him as her own—not merely out of a sense of elder responsibility, but as a mother’s love for her child, willing to take the blame and be imprisoned for him.
Such stories of family affection and romantic love are indeed not especially novel, yet I was still deeply moved. In particular, Yeo Yann Yann’s superb acting brings Bee Hwa, a mature and resilient woman, vividly to life. The personal experiences and family backgrounds of the characters also resonated strongly with me, as someone with similar experiences and circumstances, and I found myself in tears at the unfolding of the story.
The film also vividly presents many distinctive features and details of Singapore:
although prosperous and affluent, there are still many who struggle to make a living, selling not only their labor but also their dignity;
The HDB flats (组屋,public housing) that provide shelter for ordinary people;
The hawker centres(食阁) that offer affordable food and are filled with everyday bustle;
The dual nature of neighborly and workplace relationships in public housing estates and hawker centres, where gossip and competition coexist with mutual help and warmth;
The widespread Christian faith and religious wedding ceremonies;
The “A-Level”examinations that place enormous pressure on many Singaporean students and parents;
The demanding, monotonous, and often stifling military service that most Singaporean men are required to undergo;
Those on the margins of society struggling to survive, who may fall into vicious cycles with a single misstep;
Discrimination and distance from the upper class toward ordinary people;
Wealthy Chinese visitors who come to Singapore for enjoyment, spending lavishly while lacking integrity;
The frightening violence of local Ah Long(大耳窿) loan sharks in de