peacock

Winner of the Golden Bear at the 2005 Berlin Film Festival, [Peacock] is the auspicious directorial debut of Gu Changwei. One of China's most accomplished cinematographers, Gu has worked with such filmmakers as Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou, so it comes as no surprise that [Peacock] is, at the least, a beautiful film to behold.
[Peacock] portrays 10 years of the life of an ordinary working-class family that is coming to terms with the cards life has dealt it. At her parents' behest, Weihong works at an orphanage, but her crush on an officer makes her long to join the paratroopers. Instead, she winds up in a loveless marriage to a humble government official. Like Weihong, her brothers also struggle with the challenges of life in the changing environment of 1970s' China.
[Peacock] has a melancholic tone that is leavened by moments of wonderful tenderness and humour. "The compassion and empathy Gu has for his characters and their behaviour, observed without judgment or condescension, mark him as a true storyteller." - Hollywood Reporter
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D/P Gu Changwei P Dong Ping S Li Qiang WS Asian Union Media & Film L Chinese w/English subtitles TD 35mm/col/2005/138mins
Gu Changwei was born in Xi An Province, China, in 1957. [Peacock] (MIFF 05) is his first feature film.