Educational Media Reviews Online

During Mao Zedung’s Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), millions of Chinese youth were “sent down” from Beijing to the Chinese countryside. Mao believed that it was important for the youths to live and work with people who knew the value of work. When the youths were "sent down", they were removed from their family’s registries. The youths lived in communes and worked daily at farming. Relationships between males and females were strictly prohibited.

Reunion looks at the lives of 4 people who still suffer the consequences of the Cultural Revolution. We have a daughter, father and mother as the central characters of the film. A fourth person who wishes to return to Beijing has a peripheral role. His sole mission is to obtain his family's registry so he can return to live in Beijing and tend to his ailing mother. Throughout the film, there are interviews with assorted people who were part of the “sent down generation”.

The directors do a super job of conveying the emotions of the father, who has extreme sorrow over abandoning his daughter. He realizes that although at the time he had no other choice, he still carries with him the weight of his decision. He has tried to put that time behind him and doesn’t want to see his daughter. In her eyes and face he sees the past come back in vivid color. His wife not knowing anything about the child must now must deal with her own emotions.

The daughter was adopted by a farming couple and has searched for her father for many years. She has married and has a child of her own. She is anxious to travel to Beijing to meet him but her foster parents forbid it. She longs to know why she was born.

The mother, who has married and can not have any more children, does not want to see her. She is afraid that if her current husband finds out it will destroy their marriage. She never told him of the daughter she had.

The pivotal part of the film is when the father and daughter meet. Although no words are spoken, the viewer can almost feel the incredible emotions. Twenty-eight years later the father comes face to face with the past. As the film progresses, the father and daughter become more comfortable with each other and forge a relationship. The film shows the lasting impact of history on people’s lives. While some that were sent down have made decent lives for themselves, the majority have not. Having little education they are unable to compete and land decent paying jobs.

The use of subtitles and hearing the native language enhances the feel of the film. The viewer is able to get a real sense of the raw emotion felt by the characters. This film is recommended for academic libraries and would be useful to students of history and Asian studies.