Mama

Release Date: 1990-05-01

Overview: Often cited as China’s first independent feature film, this low-budget drama, filmed largely in the director’s Beijing apartment, depicts the life of a single mother (a topic considered taboo at the time) caring for her mentally challenged son. Shot with a documentary aesthetic that includes interviews with families of mentally challenged persons, the film helped kick-start the Sixth Generation of filmmakers (including Wang Xiaoshuai and Jia Zhangke) and their ethos of employing documentary realism to depict the true conditions of contemporary China.

Rating: 6.8 / 10

Cast

Yan Qin

as 梁丹

Huang Haibo

as 冬冬

Shaquan Pan

as 迟丽

Yu Shaokang

as 老大爷

Yang Xiaodan

as 小张