Youth (2017 film)


Youth is a 2017 Chinese coming-of-age drama film directed by Feng Xiaogang and written by Geling Yan. It was screened in the Special Presentations section at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It was scheduled to be released in China on October 1, 2017, but after previews in Beijing and other cities was pulled from the National Day schedule. It was released on 15 December 2017. It was the 6th highest-grossing domestic film of 2017 in China.

Synopsis

The film chronicles the lives of a group of idealistic adolescents in a military art troupe in the People's Liberation Army during the Cultural Revolution. They experience love, lust, betrayal, and sufferings in the background of Mao-era songs and dances. Through the narration of Xiao Suizi, the film follows the story of two key characters, Feng Liu and Xiaoping He. Xiaoping He, a naive, and innocent new recruit from Beijing, and Feng Liu a morally impeccable character, whose comrades praise for being a real life Lei Feng. The pair also participate in the Sino-Vietnamese War in 1979 and become heroes for their act of courage.
Xiaoping He eventually becomes the target of her roommates bullying for her provincial naive mannerisms. A majority of the acts spearheaded by Hao Shuwen, the daughter of the regional commander.
After the war, they are honorably discharged from the Army but struggle to make ends meet in the Reform-era China while they learn lessons from soul-crashing experiences of love, lust, betrayal, and heartbreak.

Cast

Externals