Warm Spring – Nuan Chung (2003)

Directed by: Wulan Tana | 90 minutes | drama | Actors: Zhang Yan, Tian Chengren, Hao Yang, Yu Weijie, Niu Wanxin, Wang Changhong, Song Wenlan, Liu Yinshu, Zhao Liansheng, Zhao Zhixiang, Hao Chanyoing, He Wenliang, Zhen Fei, Meng Xiangyun, Cui Wen, Gao Shiru

‘Warm Spring’ is a beautiful and compelling drama about the Chinese girl Xiao Hua. Her parents and grandmother die and as an orphaned girl she is left alone. Only six years old, and she has nothing or no one left. She is taken in by a foster family, but they don’t care about her. She hardly gets to eat and is also mistreated and beaten. Finally, she runs away. Completely exhausted, she is later found, far away, by a village chief of a small town there. The village chief tries to place the girl in a family in his village, but all the families fear that they will have to fill another mouth and do not want her. Eventually Baozhu’s older father takes care of her. He wants to gain her trust and offer her a home, but Baozhu and his wife, with whom the older man lives, do not want to care for the girl. They also feel disadvantaged by her arrival, and let the girl feel that as much as possible. Despite the estrangement that occurs with his son, the man, called Grandpa by Xiao Hua, continues to share all his love and care with her. In this way a very close bond occurs between them.

In the film we see how the girl grows up in a poor village, where everyone can hardly take care of themselves. The older man does what he can, works very hard, and shares everything he has and more with her. His mercy is sincere and pure. The girl also has a very pure heart, in the right place. With love she meets all displeasures, all the meanness of others, and all misjudgments and humiliations. And this sincerity also turns out to be her strongest strength, which eventually causes others to admire her. The role of Xiao Hua is enchanted by Zhang Yan. There is no false sentiment, incompleteness or imagination anywhere. And this is what makes the film so valuable. It’s so believable and sincere, we can all learn our life lessons from it. Grandpa’s wise thoughts are also very instructive. With a great sense of reflection, he regularly philosophizes about himself. The village chief seeks compensation for his guilt, because he did not dare to take care of himself, he is looking for extra food for the family. The entire community in the film reflects itself on the goodness of the orphaned girl and her grandfather. This simplicity is the strength of the film. All images, dialogues, tempo and music are based on this and make the film profound and impressive. Perhaps the end of the story could have been kept a bit smaller, but the appreciation for the film is already high by then.