Reviews

Bravo! Finally, a film that is not just kung-fu and legends, but someone showing young Chinese as they are. Set in present-day Beijing, I feel the director of this movie has started a revolution in films in China by creating a true portrait of young modern-day Chinese. "Waiting Alone" is a touching film that is absolutely delightful! A testimony to the quality of this movie is the fact that it was nominated for "Best Picture" at the Golden Rooster awards (China's "Oscars") in 2005 -- which says a lot about the writer-director, since this was his first feature-length film, and he is the first "foreigner" to ever receive such a nomination (his biography does note, however, that he is half Chinese!). If you haven't seen this movie yet, be sure to get a copy of the DVD and you won't regret it. I can't wait to see more from this talented director!

I was looking for more on this director after recently seeing his terrific feature length film "Waiting Alone". When I came across "Bus 44" I realized why there was such buzz about this short, and why it won so many prizes internationally! Though "Bus 44" is very different from "Waiting Alone" in style and content, it makes clear why this Dayyan Eng (aka "Wu Shixian") is recognized as a gifted writer and director. I won't go into details about the story--so that the subtle impact of the ending is not lessened--but just be ready to be surprised. Excellent acting by all the leads, especially the lovely Ms. Gong Beibi, and by the young man in the film, Wu Chao. Now that I've seen this, I trying to track down a copy of Director Eng's earlier award-winning short film "East 22nd Street" -- but I haven't had any luck yet. :-(