SO LONG MY SON

SO LONG MY SON (DIJIUTIANCHANG), 2019
China | DCP, Color, 185’ | Chinese
Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
Cast: Wang Jingchun, Yong Mei, Qi Xi

So Long My Son, the new film by Xiaoshuai, one of the Sixth Generation directors of Chinese cinema, deals with the striking impact of China's one-child policy through the experiences of two families whose children are close friends. Working at a factory, the Liyun and Yaojun couple and their son is good friends with Haiyan and her family. Liyun and Yaojun’s son goes swimming at the insistence of his friend and drowns. His mother, Liyun, who finds out that she is pregnant again just before this tragic incident, is compelled to get an abortion by the authorities who have been notified by Haiyan, whom she thought was a friend. The paths of these two families are separated following these events. Although this epic melodrama tells a story that spans 30 years throughout its three-hour duration, its detailed visuals, masterful acting and finely crafted editing make the film fly by at