Review: Warm Spring-Nuan Chung (2003)

Director: 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 she is left alone as an orphaned girl. Only six years old, and she has nothing or no one left. She is taken in by a foster family, but they do not care. She gets little or no food and is also beaten and beaten. In desperation she walks away. Completely exhausted, she is later found, far away, by a village chief of a town there. The village chief tries to place the girl in a family in his village, but all families fear that they will have to fill their mouths and do not want her. Eventually, Baozhu’s older father takes care of her. He wants to gain her trust and give her a home, but Baozhu and his wife, with whom the older man lives, do not want to provide the girl with care. They too feel disadvantaged by her arrival, and let the girl feel it as much as possible. Despite the removal that occurs with his son, the man, named Grandpa by Xiao Hua, continues to share all his love and care with her. In this way a very close bond arises 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 genuine and pure. The girl also has a very pure heart, in the right place. With love she meets all displeasures, all the mean tricks of others, and all ignorance and humiliation. And this sincerity also proves to be her strongest strength, which is why others gradually start to admire her. The role of Xiao Hua is enchanted by Zhang Yan. Nowhere is there any false sentiment, incompleteness or imagination. And this is what makes the film so valuable. It’s so credible and genuine that we can all learn our life lessons from it. Grandpa’s wise thoughts are also very educational. 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 through the goodness of the orphan girl and her grandfather. This simplicity is the strength of the film. All images, dialogues, tempo and music are based on this and makes the film radical and impressive. Perhaps the end of the story could have been kept a bit smaller, but the appreciation for the film is long since then.