Stephen Tschudi

If I taught film, I would definitely add this movie to the curriculum. While efficiently driving the saga of the war between mother and daughter forward, the movie delivers a tasty slice of contemporary Beijing life, with a virtuosic display of cinematic tricks and tropes. (You will never think the same way again about trying to get the last drops out of a box of UHT milk.) While the mother's scenery-chewing does go a bit over the top, the film overall reads as a love letter to the cinematic arts, and provides pleasure and wistfulness in equal measure.