User reviews

Since 2004, most of Peter Chan's films were big-budget production, co-produced with China, such as Perhaps Love, Wu Xia, but lost the precious spirit he had. For Dearest, Peter Chan recovers his credit. Not only The watchable Dearest doesn't become the propaganda as most of mainland films like, but also refuse to be anti-govern picture.

Dearest honestly focus on lost and return. The screenplay is good writing, but a little weak in the second part, thankfully, upgrading by unimaginable Chiu Mei (aka Zhao Wei). Additionally, Editing and Cinematography are perfect.

Chen should thank to his great ensemble cast. Huang Bo proves he is not only the best comedy actor, but also an intelligent drama performer. Hao, who played Lu Xiaojuan, has the most wonderful character, a ex-wife who had cheated her ex-husband, an ill-mannered lady who destroyed her current marriage, a victim who facing the foster mother, and the heart breaking mother whose child has forget her. However, she wast the best role of the film, Hao excelled one dimension of the lost child mother. It's easy to feel sympathy for the role, however, frail it is. Surprisingly, Zhang Yi remarkable portray steal the sense. At Pangpang's birthday party, his helpless and depression should be his award moment.

Undoubtedly, the greatest performance from Zhao, an underrated actress in China. Granted, she has less scenes than Huang and Hao, and the poor support by script of her part, but she control the gravity of the whole film. Zhao shows a complex and paradox humanity in a simple, low- educated personality. Her restrained and spell-blinding acting style would establish her as Chinese Ellen Burstyn.

I have to repeat what I said in the Summary: Wow, finally we got a well scripted Chinese Screenplay, directed by a very normal and sane Chinese director, played by a bunch of great Chinese actors, and yes, this film was largely based on the true incidents happening in China 24/7/365, and yes, some of the plots/storyline/twists were dramatically invented and inserted into the whole movie just to make it more watchable.

To me, this film has saved the Chinese movie industries in many ways. It showed us that at least there are still some Chinese movie producers, writers, directors and actors who did not want to turn themselves into jerks and clowns, they really wanted to produce something not just watchable, at the same time, they really wanted to tell us something that really happened, happens and happening in China: The god-awful "KIDNAPS" that have destroyed so many families, homes, marriages, relationships and most of all, the hope.

I could never imagine how many of the Chinese would become so monstrous and evil, making "kidnapping" as a business, a commercial commodity, even an enterprise. Those kidnappers are everywhere, in every Chinese city, every corner, every busy public thoroughfare. The god- awful inhumane Chinese government in order to control the population, the Communist Party released a law to force every family can only have one child, and this cruel law has also created a booming business, "kidnap". And this is the story of parents who lost their kids and tried so hard to look for their lost kids. A great story based on one of the true incidents and very fortunately, it turned out to be one of the rarest watchable films since most of the Chinese movie producers had lost their sanity and turned almost 99% of their movies into nothing but farce, turned their actors into jerks and clowns, destroyed their audiences and viewers better judgments and made them become morons.

What I would like point out is, although the actress who played the kidnapper's wife had won 'The Best Actress of Hong Kong Film Festival 2014", I still think the actress who played the wife/ex-wife who lost her kid had performed even better. You have to watch carefully about how she played the wife and mother, and when her lost son finally grasped her hand to walk along with her, the reactions of her performance was just out of the world! And that wonderful moment of acting was so superb that made my eyes teary. There were so many other great performances by this great actress in this film that you really need to pay more attention to appreciate her. Because it was such a great performance, showing how a mother finally getting and salvaging her lost son, there is only one American actress, Diane Lane, in "Unfaithful 2002", when she met a handsome younger man and uncontrollably to commit an adultery and an affair, betrayed her husband (played by Richard Gere), when she sat in the train going home and thought about her possible intimate sexual desire with that young stranger, her acting of that moment, from the moment when she thought about her encounter with that young man to uncontrollably thought about making love with him, the rapid changes of her expressions in trance, her face suddenly blushed; sexual desires made her cheek, neck and her upper chest turned hot red; the subtle micro expressions on Diane Lane's face; the sexual desires were so strong and so real, like what a real woman would have responded and reacted and wet herself when uncontrollably thought of making love to a mysterious stranger and future secret lover....Wow, that....and until this superb Chinese actress showing us how a recovering mother she was, is the 2nd time that I've found myself in awe to watch such a great performance, so real, so true, so natural and, so powerfully touching. "The Best Actress Award" should be hers instead.

China and the Chinese people need more movies like this "Dearest" kinda movies to put them back onto the right track sooner than later, before their whole movie industries turn every movie into nothing but SH@T, an incurable and unstoppable diarrhea!

A warning to the Chinese movie investors: DO NOT USE YOUR ¥¥¥REN-MIN-BI¥¥¥ AS TOILET PAPERS, USE IT WISELY.

we watched "dearest" during our globe perspective class. I have heard that's a sad movie, but I did not cry as much as I thought I would, perhaps because I'm yet a parent myself. But I can definitely feel for the parents who lost their kids. This film has various characters where the different groups of audiences will be able to relate with. This film touches me, heart, first, and then make you think again. Think of questions that we will usually assume about the abductors. That how most would abduct to make the kids beg for money, that the kids will be suffering and pining for their real parents.

I sat down to watch the 2014 Chinese movie "Dearest" (aka "Qin ai de") without knowing what I was getting myself into here. All I knew about the movie was that it was a Chinese movie, and that was essentially all that was needed for me to have an interest in watching it.

I will say that writer Ji Zhang definitely managed to write a compelling and interesting story here, and it was a story that struck harder as it is something based on actual events. And director Peter Ho-Sun Chan managed to make the transition of the story from script to movie in a very good way, especially as it was a movie that sweeps the audience away with it.

However, it should be said that a running time of two hours and eight minutes, the movie tended to get a bit prolonged and dragging on at certain points throughout the course of the movie. So a more round-handed trim in editing could perhaps have worked in favor of the movie.

While the storyline was interesting, the movie was so phenomenally well carried by the cast. Especially Bo Huang should be mentioned here, because he really stepped up and delivered a powerful performance. And it was such a surprise to see him step away from the comedy genre and take on something with a bit more meat on it. He starred alongside of Wei Zhao, whom also put on a very convincing performance.

If you enjoy a heavy drama, and don't mind one that revolves around something as atrocious as a child kidnapping, then you definitely should sit down to watch "Dearest", if you ever have the chance to do so. This was a very entertaining and enjoyable movie, not to mention quite the surprise of a movie for me actually.

My rating of "Dearest" lands on a well-deserved seven out of ten stars.