User:Joelle Dou/Under the Hawthorn Tree (film)

Under the Hawthorn Tree (film)
Under the Hawthorn Tree (simplified Chinese: 山楂树之恋; traditional Chinese: 山楂樹之戀; pinyin: Shānzhāshù Zhī Liàn) is a 2010 Chinese tragic romantic film directed by Zhang Yimou. The movie was adapted from a popular novel called Hawthorn Tree Forever by Ai Mi in 2007. It started Zhou Dongyu and Shawn Dou. The story took place in a small village in Yichang City, Hebei province, China during the Cultural Revolution time.

The film started on April 16, 2010 in Yichang City and completed on June 22, 2010. It was released in Mainland China on September 2010, followed by releases in other Asian countries later on.

Film Reviews
It was a highly rated movie by its audience. Some people commented that the movie brought back early memories of pure love  in the setting of the 70s and 80s. This was special nostalgia for the audience as they don’t experience it in the same way now. They thought the movie was not dramatised, it was more like a friend telling a story. However, some younger audiences said that the movie was too pure, too good to be true, they did not think it was based on a true story. 

Behind the Scene
At the beginning of casting, the main actress named Dongyu Zhou did not believe the cast was real. She thought she was being tricked, as it was her first movie. She missed her Gaokao because she wanted to practice her acting skills and have some experience in film.

The director was named Yimou Zhang and his daughter was the translator of the subtitles and co-director for a couple of scenes. Based on his previous films, it was not their first collaboration.


 * Zhou Dongyu as Jing Qiu

A kind and independent high school girl who lived in a poor family with her mother and other two siblings. She was sent to be re-educated and worked in the countryside under the leadership of the chairman Mao Zedong. She fell in love with Lao Sao.


 * Shawn Dou as Lao San (Jianxin)

A young man who was the captain of a prospect team, later on developed leukemia. He had to keep his distance from Jing Qiu to protect her from the truth. Even though he loved her and wanted to be with her.


 * Xi Meijuan as Jing Qiu's mother

She was very strict with Jing Qiu and her other siblings, and did not allow Jing Qiu to be in a relationship before she turned 25 years old.


 * Jiang Ruijia as Jing Qiu's friend - Wei Hong

She was Jing Qiu’s best friend in high school. However, when they were working in the village, she fell in love with a man and accidentally got pregnant.

Cast

 * Zhou Dongyu as Jing Qiu A kind and independent high school girl, she was sent to re-educated by working in the countryside under the leadership from the chairman Mao Zedong. She fell in love with Lao Sao
 * Shawn Dou as Lao San (Jian Xin) A young man who was the caption of a prospect team, later on when he developed leukemia, he had to keep distance from Jing Qiu for protecting her.
 * Xi Meijuan as Jing Qiu's mother She was very strict with Jing Qiu and her other siblings, and not allowed her to be in a relationship after she turns 25 years old.
 * Jiang Ruijia as Jing Qiu's friend - Wei Hong She was Jing Qiu’s best friend in high school. However, when they were working in the village, she fell in love with a man and accidentally got pregnant.

Behind the Scene
At the beginning of casting, the main actress names Dongyu Zhou did not believe it was a real cast, and she thought herself was tricked by some people, as her first movie,  she missed her Gaokao because she wanted to practice her acting skills and have some experience on filming.

The director (Yimou Zhang)'s daughter was the translator of the subtitles and co-director for couple scenes. Based on his previous films, it was not their first collaboration.