Youth

Synopsis

In 1970s China, a young woman joins an army art troupe and befriends the group's selfless 'Living Lei Feng.' Their lives are forever changed by war and the turbulent decades that follow. Feng Xiaogang's nostalgic epic grossed 1.36 billion yuan.

Overview

Youth (Chinese: 芳华, Fanghua) is a 2017 Chinese drama directed by Feng Xiaogang, based on the novel by Yan Geling. Starring Huang Xuan and Miao Miao, the film follows members of a military art troupe from the idealistic 1970s through the Sino-Vietnamese War and into the reform era.

The film grossed 1.36 billion yuan ($210 million) and holds a Douban rating of 7.7. It is considered one of Feng Xiaogang's most personal and critically acclaimed works.

Plot Summary

In 1970s China, young He Xiaoping (Miao Miao) joins a prestigious military art troupe, dreaming of belonging and acceptance. But the troupe is no haven — she is bullied for her body odor and marginalized by the other dancers. The only person who shows her kindness is Liu Feng (Huang Xuan), universally known as the troupe's 'Living Lei Feng' for his boundless generosity.

When Liu Feng confesses his love to the troupe's sweetheart Lin Dingding, he is falsely accused of sexual assault and disgraced, demoted from hero to pariah. Disillusioned, He Xiaoping volunteers for the front lines. Both end up in the Sino-Vietnamese War — she as a battlefield nurse, he as a soldier who loses an arm in combat.

The film's devastating six-minute war sequence, shot in a single take at a cost of 7 million yuan, is one of the most visceral battle scenes in Chinese cinema.

After the war, the former troupe members scatter into China's booming reform era. Some grow rich, some fade away. Only Liu Feng and He Xiaoping — the two souls most betrayed by their era — find solace in each other.

Cast

References

1. Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_(2017_film)
2. IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6965706/
3. Douban: https://movie.douban.com/subject/26862829/