Promising young woman.
I don't use the word "perfect" lightly when it comes to dramas because, it's my opinion, there's always room for improvement. But the team behind Reborn were on a superior state of being when they created this story, something many filmmakers, producers and scriptwriters dream to achieve. This is truly a perfect drama, from beginning to end, and I am so glad I was able to experience it.
When I first started to watch it, I didn't mention it on social media because I wanted to see where the Reborn team were taking a story that handles so many sensitive issues for contemporary China. It could easily turn into an over the top melodrama, with one dimensional characters, instead of serious study on how society and family dynamics can destroy the life of a young woman.
The social commentary alone is enough to consider this the best drama of the year. Period. It's not usual for a youth cdrama to so openly call out China's ugly face regarding women's marginalization and discrimination. To show in the exact way they are thought and treated as less than, a family's internalized misogyny and its consequences. All while waving into the main story other issues such as AIDS, debt, sexual harassment, domestic abuse and the clash between generations.
This might sound like too heavy of a drama and I admit it has it's moments where, as a viewer, you want to reach through the screen and burn an entire house (and then some) but the story manages to balance the difficult subjects with the more light moments of budding romance, newfound friendships, and normal growing pains. These lasts elements are crucial for our lead as she learns to stand up for herself, her sister and, even, her mother. At the same time, the family unit also learns from our lead as they slowly but surely break free from a toxic filial obligation in a way that feels both real and satisfying.
I had my eye on this Reborn because Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Yiran, whom I believe have impeccable taste when choosing a script and with this drama they have proven me right (once more). They are the stars of the show as Qingyu and Ming Sheng, two lonely teens learning that life and humans' relationships, particularly with our parents, are far more complex and nuanced than we first thought so. They come together at the perfect bad timing in order to help each other grow and heal.
But the heart of Reborn are Wu You and Liu Dan as Qing's older sister and mother, respectively. They had a lot of silent, steady work to do, as our lead discovers a family secret buried deep. Liu Dan, particularly, should be nominated for every single award under the sun for the incredible character building and development she put into Qing's mother. Everyone in the cast, to be honest, brought their A+++ game and will get something, some emotion, positive or negative, from the viewer as the story unfolds and more of this family secret is revealed.
I already like the actors cast in this drama but I have a newfound respect for them. Because they chose to involve themselves in a story that's it's a screaming denunciation told through the female gaze. Yes, the entire team behind the camera -from the producer, director and writer- are women. Only women could tell this story and do it justice.
When I first started to watch it, I didn't mention it on social media because I wanted to see where the Reborn team were taking a story that handles so many sensitive issues for contemporary China. It could easily turn into an over the top melodrama, with one dimensional characters, instead of serious study on how society and family dynamics can destroy the life of a young woman.
The social commentary alone is enough to consider this the best drama of the year. Period. It's not usual for a youth cdrama to so openly call out China's ugly face regarding women's marginalization and discrimination. To show in the exact way they are thought and treated as less than, a family's internalized misogyny and its consequences. All while waving into the main story other issues such as AIDS, debt, sexual harassment, domestic abuse and the clash between generations.
This might sound like too heavy of a drama and I admit it has it's moments where, as a viewer, you want to reach through the screen and burn an entire house (and then some) but the story manages to balance the difficult subjects with the more light moments of budding romance, newfound friendships, and normal growing pains. These lasts elements are crucial for our lead as she learns to stand up for herself, her sister and, even, her mother. At the same time, the family unit also learns from our lead as they slowly but surely break free from a toxic filial obligation in a way that feels both real and satisfying.
I had my eye on this Reborn because Zhang Jingyi and Zhou Yiran, whom I believe have impeccable taste when choosing a script and with this drama they have proven me right (once more). They are the stars of the show as Qingyu and Ming Sheng, two lonely teens learning that life and humans' relationships, particularly with our parents, are far more complex and nuanced than we first thought so. They come together at the perfect bad timing in order to help each other grow and heal.
But the heart of Reborn are Wu You and Liu Dan as Qing's older sister and mother, respectively. They had a lot of silent, steady work to do, as our lead discovers a family secret buried deep. Liu Dan, particularly, should be nominated for every single award under the sun for the incredible character building and development she put into Qing's mother. Everyone in the cast, to be honest, brought their A+++ game and will get something, some emotion, positive or negative, from the viewer as the story unfolds and more of this family secret is revealed.
I already like the actors cast in this drama but I have a newfound respect for them. Because they chose to involve themselves in a story that's it's a screaming denunciation told through the female gaze. Yes, the entire team behind the camera -from the producer, director and writer- are women. Only women could tell this story and do it justice.
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