Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Seventeen Years is a Chinese film directed by Zhang Yuan.It was a heartwarming story of the tragedy between two teen-age stepsisters when one dies and the other spends 17 years in prison as well as a story of forgiveness.It stars Li Jun as Tao Xiaolan, a young woman whose accidental murder of her stepsister leads to a seventeen year prison sentence;Li Bingbing as Chen Jie, a prison guard who takes pity on Xiaoqin and helps her find her parents;Liu Lin as Yu Xiaoqin, Xiaolan's stepsister together with Liang Song and Le Yeping as the parents of the said stepsisters.Seventeen Years has two divorced single parents marry, each bringing with them a teenage daughter. Xiaoqin, Mother's daughter, is strong- willed and proudly working-class, intending to get a job in a factory when she finishes school. Xiaolan, a bit younger and Father's child, is more intellectual and hopes to go on to college. One day, a petty argument between the step-sisters over some change turns ugly; Xiaolan hits Xiaoqiun over the head with a stick, and to the shock of everyone Xiaoqiun dies. Xiaolan is convicted of murder and sentenced to a long stay in prison; after 17 years, a handful of prisoners are released on furlough for New Years, including Xiaolan. When Xiaolan's parents don't arrive to pick her up, she's left stranded; a guard, Chen Jie, takes pity on Xiaolan and offers to give her a ride home. However, they soon discover Xiaolan's home has been torn down and her folks have moved. Chen Jie is determined Xiaolan will spend New Year with her family, though Xiaolan herself starts to wonder if they have any desire to see her.Seventeen Years is a great emotional movie.It tells us how people are affected by tragedy and how forgiveness can be extremely difficult in some situations.Also,it tells us that it is a situation that something should be prepared for,letting go of the past and it is an emotion of healing as well.It is easier said than done.Aside from that,it also tells us a touching story of a reunion between parents and prisoner.The greatest characteristic of this movie is it does not fall into the trap of trying to act and shoot scenes with over-the-top emotions. Subtlety and simplicity were its greatest assets.That is why is makes it a highly recommended movie.

I personally have found that some of the best films ever made are from China. Perhaps being a student of Chinese philosophy and being familiar with works like the writings of Chuang Tze has inclined me to be taken in by the timeless character of this story, like so many others. So many Chinese films are great because they are about timeless, enduring aspects of our being human and would have been relevant 3000 years ago as they are today, and will be 3000 years from now. And to me what makes and will always make a story great is exactly this: the human spirit as it unfolds in the process of interaction with others and its environment.I cried in parts of this film because of the sheer mastery of several actors of such intense and profound magnitude being able to carry between themselves what seems like the entire universe of the human spirit and psyche. No props needed. No special effects. I wish there were more films like this.

This is an interesting tale that is shown almost documentary style. The film begins with a blended family living with China. The husband and wife don't get along all that well and some of this contention is because they both have teenage daughters from a previous marriage. The daughters also don't particularly like each other and the "good" one actually is pretty cruel for making it look like her step-sister is a thief. However, when the step-sister attacks and accidentally kills her, the story takes a dramatic twist.The film changes to 17 years later. Here we see that the surviving sister is a model inmate in a prison that seems much more like an indoctrination center. I found this pretty fascinating. While this sort of program could easily be used for evil (such as political prisoners), such strong and consistent messages and classes on "correct" thinking and behavior do offer an alternative to the traditional Western-style prisons--that often have inmates leave worse off than when they entered them. In this case, the girl did deserve to be punished but she was also rehabilitatable--mostly because she truly was sorry for what she had done in a moment of anger at age 16.Because she is so committed to change, she and several other model prisoners are given holiday furloughs. However, given her past, it's obvious she is concerned her mother and step-father don't want her to return. What happens next is slow to unfold but very satisfying, as a worker from the prison helps the lady to find her parents (they'd moved) and renew their relationship--if it is still possible.

While working within the system, Yuan Zhang's (or is it Zhang Yuan?)latest film 17 YEARS gives the Chinese totalitarian system a human face. The title, referring to 17 YEARS of separation, also refers to an important year (age) in two of the main characters' lives. It is Zhang Yuan's best work to date, and quite possibly the most realistic, impartial portrayal of China's totalitarian system in recent years. I highly recommend it.