The setting of Zhang Yang's Shower is a Beijing bathhouse run along traditional lines by old Mr. Liu (Zhu Xu). The old man has a core group of regular customers who use the place as a kind of club – he and his retarded younger son, Erming, (Jiang Wu), welcome them all. Thinking his father is ill, the elder son, Daming, (Pu Cunxin), who is living and working in the south of China, returns home for what he thinks will be a short visit – he stays longer than he imagined.
It's the detail that's so attractive in this beautiful film – each one of the bath house customers is an interesting character, especially the would-be opera singer who can only sing in the shower. We're encouraged to see the bathhouse as a microcosm for a world that is dying in China, the collapse of a traditional community. The film begins with a vision of the future – a high tech, efficient but soulless shower – so the message here is that progress shouldn't be at the expense of some of the great, enduring traditions.Margaret's Comments: A charming film that bemoans the destruction of the village while resisting sentimentality. It's strongest in its depiction of the community of the bathhouse, the texture of the details add enormously to the film. Performances are universally strong with Zhu Xu outstanding as the father. Another window into Asian life that is insightful and nostalgic.
