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It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

The truth is there are very little movies that make me cry and this one is probably the best. Maybe it's because I love Asian films, especially Chinese, because they have a certain sadness and drama into them. The description of the movie is a poor example of the greatness of emotion that the movie reaches, for sure. The movie tells the story of an innocent young love that ends tragically. But the freshness of the two young people that are in love and happy, blends beautifully with the restrictions of the society and the fear of a bad future. The optimism of the lovers leaves you with a bitter sweet feeling in the end, when the movie concludes. I wasn't sure about the black text sequences that often pop up to provide a boost to the film, but eventually they turn the movie into a novel and you don't even notice them any more. Nice performances from the actors, full of emotion. So, 7 out of 10.

Ever since Crouching Tiger, and Hidden Dragon received the Academy Award, directors in China start to make films that do not make sense, and do not tell a story, because they believed that confusing the westerners is the best way to get the Academy Award.However, they all failed. There is one and only one Crouching Tiger, and Hidden Dragon, which most Chinese people do not even understand, but was acclaimed as one of the best films that represent China.Among the losers is Mr. Yimou Zhang, the director of Under the Hawthorn Tree, a film, as you can see from the IMDb rating, did not receive a great response in the western world, but was vastly praised as one of the best movies in recent years.Certainly, for people lack of sufficient knowledge and deep understanding of the Cultural Revolution and the opening policy thereafter, it is difficult, if not impossible, to appreciate the beauty of this film. But at least for Americans, think about the time when country music started to regain popularity. Think about the time when people are tired of the so-called modern way of life. Think about the time when you were tired from the craziness of metropolitan cities. Think about your high school sweetheart who you loved but never had sex with. You probably will have a little more understanding of the success of this film in China.Jingqiu is a representation of the kind of sweetheart that a generation, or maybe generations, of Chinese men have been dreaming about. She is sweet. She is not hot in a sexual way like Megan Fox, but she is the one that a huge amount of Chinese men would like to marry. She is pure. She loves a man wholeheartedly. She is jealous, but in a cute way. She is strong when facing challenges.And, it's been long since Chinese people had a film like this.Today, with the fast economic development and westernization, Chinese people see sex scandals and money-centered relationships way too often. They started to get reminiscent of the past, when love was pure though life was hard. Jingqiu came to them at a perfect time to make them recollect the memory they had back to the good old times.As a final comment, in a lot of ways, this film is just like "Country Road, Take Me Home."

Under The Hawthorn Tree is on the surface a simple love story, but indeed it is also a subtle political satire on the evils of the Communist Party.1. At the beginning of the movie, the girl believes the red flowers represent the Communist heroes and talks about the "rumor" in the textbook. The ending shows us that it is only propaganda used to promote the heroes and the white flowers of the same tree remind the girl of her boyfriend, instead of the heroes. What's more, the tree which used to symbolize the heroes is now submerged by the water because of a new project. It implies that changes are inevitable as time goes by.2. Why does the nurse say to the girl that the boy does not have an incurable disease? The Communist Party is probably trying to cover up the truth.3. The girl is always expected to take the volleyball back during the game, which shows communism is not void of hierarchy.4. The main characters' parents are also victims under Communist rule.5. The Communist Party song gives me goose pimples. The Communist Party is even closer to you than your parents are? 6. People under Communist rule are deprived of freedom. The girl even dares not call the boy intimately, which leads to the regret.On the whole, it is a poetic and beautifully shot love story with a charismatic cast with different nuances of facial expression. Despite the awkward silences showing the time shifts with written words, I am deeply impressed by the creative mixture of romance and political satire.

Zhang Yimou returns to a more basic form of film-making in this touching story of innocent love from China's Cutural Revolution era. Very strong performances add substance to an otherwise simple story of young lovers burdened by societal difficulties in their efforts to be together. Ms. Zhou is very good in her role as a young, innocent woman who meets a special boy, Shawn Dou, amid the turbulence of China's revolutionary years. Both girl and boy are sent to the country-side to labor under Mao's crazed design for social re-ordering. The film does not focus so much on the madness of the times as on the fear of being labeled politically incorrect which, coupled with the socially conservative norms of traditional China, serve to encumber the innocent desire to be together. A slow but nicely filmed story of heartache and heartbreak.