\The movie 'Aftershock,' adapted from Zhang Ling's novel '余震' (Aftershock) from Wenzhou, is directed by the famous director Feng Xiaogang. It depicts the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Tangshan, China, in 1976, where a mother could only choose to save one of her two children. The mother ultimately chose to save her son, but the daughter miraculously survived, was later adopted by the People's Liberation Army, and 32 years later, the family unexpectedly reunited. The emotional scars in their hearts awaited healing, once again stirring contemporary people's memories of that tragic disaster. On July 12, 2010, 'Aftershock' held its world premiere in Tangshan, Hebei Province, and was released nationwide on the 22nd of the same month. The film features a strong cast, including Xu Fan, Li Chen, Zhang Jingchu, Chen Daoming, Lu Yi, Zhang Guoqiang, and other stars.\
\Movie PlotAt the end of July 1976, the heat in Tangshan that summer felt unusually intense. Truck driver Fang Daqiang and his wife Li Yuanni lived in a small house with their twin children, Fang Deng and Fang Da, creating a warm and harmonious family life. This time, when Fang Daqiang returned from his trip, he brought a rare item for an ordinary family—a fan. The twins ran home joyfully, drawing curious glances from others. Watching her husband and children, Li Yuanni was full of hope for a better future. She couldn't have imagined that within a few hours, her family's happiness would be violently torn apart.
At 3:42:54 on July 28, the Tangshan earthquake struck. In an attempt to save the children, Fang Daqiang died. Fang Deng and Fang Da were trapped under the same cement slab, and whichever side was lifted first meant dire consequences for the other. The decision of whom to save had to be left to the mother.
Li Yuanni faintly heard Fang Da's weak cries. Surrounded by continuous aftershocks, indecision could lead to even greater harm. 'Save the son...' she thought.
Both children, fully conscious, clearly heard their mother's decision. Fate had made her the cruelest person. Rain mixed with dust poured down in torrents, and under the black sky lay a scene of desolation.
After the quake, Li Yuanni raised her son alone, living a life of resilience. The surviving Fang Deng was adopted by the military couple Wang Deqing (played by Chen Daoming) and entered a whole new world.The 23-second earth-shattering scene separated the mother, daughter, sibling, and brother from then on. It wasn't until 32 years later that the Wenchuan earthquake brought their life trajectories back to ......
The film's evaluation
"Aftershock" revolves around a family's separation and reunion after a disaster. The span of time and place extends along the fates of several main characters, making it a spiritual epic of the Chinese people. As director Feng Xiaogang repeatedly emphasized in interviews: "'Aftershock' is a film where content outweighs form. Usually, disaster films are made with more form than content, but with our film, I hope content outweighs form. Of course, we will also show audiences those very impactful visuals, including audiovisual impact—we will have all these methods. But what we want even more is to bring the audience into the inner world of the characters. That's what we need to do. I think what truly shakes this film is not these houses, but the hearts of each of us. If we can achieve this, we will succeed." "With a special emotional power and the creative sincerity of the creators, some media editors personally sent heartfelt messages after watching the film, sincere and heartfelt, once again proving the Chinese people's continuous reflection and persistence in the eternal theme of "family affection."
Film Review
The story of "Aftershock" revolves around a family's separation after a disaster, with time and place spanning along the fate trajectories of several main characters. It can be called a Chinese spiritual epic. As director Feng Xiaogang repeatedly emphasized in interviews: "'Aftershock' is a film where content outweighs form. Disaster films often outweigh form, but for our film, I hope content outweighs form. Of course, we also show audiences those very impactful visuals, including audiovisual impact—we have all these means. But we hope to bring the audience into the inner world of the characters. That's what we're going to do. I feel like what this film really shakes isn't these houses, but the hearts of each of us. If we can do that, we've succeeded."With the special emotional power and the sincere creativity of the creators, some media editors, after watching the movie, specially came together to deliver heartfelt messages, sincere and touching, once again proving the continuous reflection and persistence of Chinese people on the eternal theme of 'family affection.'\ Recommendation Index: ★★★★★\ Tangshan Earthquake (Movie) Online - Sohu Video "
