'Hi, Mom' Review: Rivers of Tears Flow in Appealing Chinese Time-Travel Dramedy
'Hi, Mom' Review: Rivers of Tears Flow in Appealing Chinese Time-Travel Dramedy
The first film by female director Jia Ling is now the second-highest grossing non-English-language feature of all time.
Richard Kuipers, provided by
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Director: Jia Ling
With: Jia Ling, Zhang Xiaofei, Shen Teng, Chen He, Liu Jia, Han Yunyun, Du Yuan, Ding Jiali, Wang Lin, He He, Bao Wenjing, Qiao Shan, Jia Wentian (Mandarin dialogue)
Running time: Running time: 128 MIN.
Courtesy Tiger Pictures Int’l
“Hi, Mom” begins as a pleasant enough comic fantasy about a young Chinese woman who time-travels from 2001 to 1981 and becomes friends with her late mother. That’s before it flicks an inspired story-telling switch and turns into a top-notch tearjerker that will have viewers everywhere reaching for the tissues. The deeply personal debut feature by female director, star and co-writer Jia Ling has become a domestic box-office sensation, earning $821 million since Feb. 12. Now the second-highest-grossing non-English-language film of all time, “Hi, Mom” has a good chance of accumulating the $50 million required to overtake reigning champion “Wolf Warrior 2” when it rolls out globally during 2021. A U.S. release has been announced, though specific dates and details are pending.