DoryHulburt

A psychologically complex drama that revolves around the tragic relationship between a harsh mother and an ebullient daughter. While her parents are away at war, NiaoNiao is neglectfully raised by relatives; when her parents return, her strict, militaristic mother, who last saw NiaoNiao in infancy, is met with an untutored, half-wild teenager who disappoints and embarrasses her. Their relationship starts disastrously and goes downhill from there. Thus NiaoNiao grows up trusting only herself and anticipating and fearing abandonment. How this affects her adult life informs the entire story. Like the best Chinese dramas, this one features the kind of moral ambiguity that pervades real life. The harsh mother is never painted as a villain. Like it or not, her character is drawn so well that you understand her heartbreaking unfairness despite hating it. There are gripping scenes, as when NiaoNiao leaves the family complex on a bleak and sodden day. Watching the carriage roll away, the mother is suddenly stricken with the realization that she may never see her daughter again. Everything is gray-scale. The wooden wheels of the carriage roll noisily over the wet cobblestones. A melancholy poem runs in the margins and mournful music plays. The scene holds you in its grip in every possible way. I've only mentioned two of the myriad of deep and fascinating characters, each with their own complex personalities. This is one of the rare dramas with scenes that I revisit regularly.