This movie completely undermines the theme of desperation, starvation and poverty that is present throughout the book. The transitions physically hurt my eyes, and there is a time jump every 0.05 seconds because yes, this is an American film. If you hadn't read the book, it is likely that you would have no idea why Li even defected. Some characters have been completely erased from existence. I really don't understand why this piece of garbage has been cleared for release. This has to be one of the most atrocious movie adaptations of all time. Go read the book. Stop wasting your time and save your eyes from this. I'm not too sure that the directors read any more than 2 pages of the book. They probably just read a google review made by a 2 year old. This is an excuse for a film, and I'd rather drink toilet water than watch this again.
Long Live Chairman Mao and the People's Republic of China!