mosquitocyn

I enjoyed the movie because the cast acted very well. Watched it primarily to see how a new pope is elected in the Vatican. The movie was well paced and kept my interest throughout. Many issues that were rather theatrical started when the voting dragged on because majority could not be attained. Scandals started cropping up and the process was akin to a what one would see in a Hollywood movie. This started making me conclude that there would be a surprise on the choice of the elected Pope and I guess the audience would zero down on the surprise soon enough. However, the finale surprise was still rather unnecessary and out of character for a serious movie.

This is a very heartwarming family drama giving many life lessons whether you are a child or a parent. We have 2 families with 2 abandoned children who end up with living as part of another family comprising a dad and his child. One of the dads of the other family became part of the picture. They form a true family bond that withstood a lot of bad and good times. The friends and extended families of these children as they grow up became integral to the entire series and each cast is given good character development. I have they recommend this series. There's so many life lessons to learn from and it's throughly entertaining and never a dull moment. I didn't give it a 10 because I felt the last episode was too rushed and the ending seemed rather hurried. It's still really good series.

This is a rare gem that covers so many issues common and relatable to Chinese families which also revolves around education entries and residence in China which I find complex to understand. It is mainly a family drama focusing on families staying near each other in an alley specifically 2 neighboring families sharing a courtyard. We share a journey with them and their extended relatives in a span of over 20 years as the children grow up to become adults. There are many happy and sad moments depicted by an excellent cast. Issues like the sacrifices parents make for their children, the eldest being favored and expected to help everyone else in the family when she or he grows up, I like how the story develops and also show how the lives of the people are impacted as China moves forward from 1970s to late 1990s. This drama is really educational for me too as a person who is not born or lived in China. I came out appreciating what I have learnt and enjoyed a very well written and excecuted drama.