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China, France · 2014
1h 40m
Director Philippe Muyl
Starring Li Baotian, Li Xiaoran, Qin Hao, Xin Yi Yang
Genre Drama
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Zhigen, an elderly farmer, leaves Beijing to return to his native village, accompanied by a pet bird and his granddaughter Renxing. Spoiled by her parents, Renxing knows nothing but luxury. Will the arduous journey across rural China bring Zhigen and Renxing closer or drive them further apart?
Although few would confuse The Nightingale with greatness (it’s just way too predictable), production-wise, everything is top notch, especially the cinematography of Sun Ming, who captures some almost epic images of rural Guangxi — makes you want to go there. Also, Li’s quiet strength as the grandfather grounds the film in a gentle, simple and appealing way.
The New York Times by Andy Webster
The virtues of understatement and restraint are vividly apparent in Philippe Muyl’s The Nightingale.
The Hollywood Reporter by Clarence Tsui
The Nightingale is technically remarkable. Beyond its socio-political context, however, the film offers hardly anything inventive to the familiar generation-gap rite-of-passage dramedy.
It begins on the street. It ends here.