Following a serious accident with her Mum in a car accident, Jia Xiaoling is transported back to 1981 and becomes the friend of a younger version of her Mum. Part Back to the Future and part [insert any sentimental family drama name here] with a soundtrack comprising some nice original piano tunes and some not-so-nice and clearly ripped-off from western pop songs of the 80s and 90s, Ni hao, Li Huan Ying is a moving family drama with tear-stained puffy cheeks.

A commercial juggernaut launched at a time when seeing family members was difficult during the pandemic, the huge Chinese audience opted to watch this instead. It grossed $195m USD on it's opening weekend and went on to become the…

Hi, Mom, like Wolf Warrior II before it, is an indication of where the box office is headed and China’s place in the global market. Almost singlehandedly from the Chinese market, Hi, Mom has grossed nearly a billion dollars during the festive period of the Chinese New Year and with that, has won the distinction of being the top-grossing movie from a solo female director in China, the highest grossing film of 2021, and the second highest-grossing non-English film of all-time - just behind the previously mentioned Wolf Warrior II, whom also managed that achievement primarily due to the strength of the Chinese box office. China’s box office domination shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. It’s a shift in the…

Make your momma live, laugh, and love.

Such a real tearjerker of a movie, had me all emotional and really appreciating a mother's love. This film talks about a bit more than that though, it also dives into the child's perspective as well, and touches on living a happy life without regrets. I honestly didn't mind the unexplained time travel mechanics, the story was sweet and heartfelt enough for me to ignore the technicalities, and the characters were all so charming especially Jia Ling's adorable performance. There's a sense of smoothness with how the events play out, it never gets too frustrating but doesn't go overboard with the sweetness either. It's also focused on the main plot, even though I…

I've ugly cried so hard watching this like I haven't cried in ages. This was so beautiful, so emotional and so touching. It's no wonder why this is such a huge hit and starting an online phenomenon in China with millions of people sharing their moms stories. This film hits you hard in the guts and it hits you very personally. The final montage was specially very emotionally powerful to watch and it left me in a huge river of tears.

If people didn't have prejudice with Chinese films and weren't too stuck to watching only American films, this for sure would be a huge hit among general audiences all over the world, because this is a story that most…

After liking director Jia Ling's recent boxing movie YOLO, I decided to backtrack and see her earlier film, which was a massive hit in its native China. It's a riff on Back to the Future, with its main character going back in time to when her parents were young. But unlike the American movie, in which Marty McFly's mission is to protect the status quo and ensure he ends up being born, the Chinese protagonist wants to set her mom up with a better husband and a better life, even it it means erasing herself from existence.

For most of the running time it's a comedy, until the very end where it becomes a straight-up tearjerker. I laughed quite a…

Oh boy, what to do with a film like this?

Let's start here: Hi, Mom is the second highest grossing Chinese film of all time, the second highest grossing non-English film of all time, and the world's highest grossing film by a solo female director ($4 million USD ahead of Wonder Woman).

It's easy to dismiss all Chinese mainstream films as supremely nationalistic and leave it at that, and for the most part, it's true: look at Wolf Warrior 2 and The Wandering Earth. What makes this film hard to grapple with, at least for me, is that Hi, Mom does not set out to be such a nationalist product. To be sure, it's an incredibly safe film, but it…

The highest grossing film of 2021 so far is a sincerely crafted & emotionally uplifting story of love, loss, family, regret & wish fulfilment that centres on a mother-daughter bonding and is curated with heart & compassion. Packed with laughs yet capable of tugging the heartstrings, Hi, Mom is a sweet, simple & sentimental family drama that works as advertised.

Co-written & directed by Jia Ling in her directorial debut who also stars as the lead, the film uses the time travel framework only to transport its protagonist into the past where it attempts to reforge the relationship between a woman & her mother. It's a safe play but the script is witty throughout and its emotional authenticity shines through, thus making it a pleasant delight…