Ocean Heaven

When "Ocean Heaven" was released, it got great critical acclaim and positive word of mouth. I finally got to watch it, and it surpassed my expectations. There are a few films depicting autistic characters that I have watched, and this film has the most accurate and consistently convincing portrayal. Either the guy playing Dafu is really autistic, or he is a really good actor. The story tells how the father prepares his autistic soon to live independently. The father's unconditional love for his child, his unlimited patience and unrelenting care is very respectable. Anyone will be touched by him. The film also depicts the lives of ordinary citizens, with real problems, adding realism to the touching plot. I hope this great film will find a wider audience, because it deserves to be seen and appreciated.

I read the plot outline on the box. A man with an autistic son, who is terminally ill tries to figure out a way to ensure his son will be cared for after he dies. That is quite a punch right there.

The movie really grabbed me emotionally with repeated small acts of kindness, not just from the father but from everyone in his community. You will need a box of Kleenex. The father has totally dedicated his life to his son's well being. His gentle kindness transforms everyone around him and brings out the best in them.

The movie completely worked until the very end when Dad tried to create a simple religious myth to explain his impending death to his son. It was bathos. It spoiled the end of the movie for me. The movie suddenly went Disney on me. It was just too goofy. I suppose I could reframe it as insane last ditch desperation.

It has an intense bitter-sweet ending.

(2010) Ocean Haven/ Ocean heaven/ Ocean Paradise (In Mandarin with English subtitles) DRAMA

As a fan of Jet Lee or Jet Li's martial art movies, this is quite a transition for him, but at the same time I was never a fan of movies about people suffering from down syndrome or people with mental disorder films since they're the easiest thing to do if anyone were to become an actor as I always thought even before seeing Lars Von Trier's controversial film "The Idiots" saying that it involves more peculiar movements and less thinking dialogue. Besides "The Idiots", the only other films that demand recognition in terms of less dialogue acting roles are probably "The Miracle Worker" with Anne Bancroft and "My Left Foot" which their minds are intact but their bodies are not. The reason I say this is because everybody regardless who you're can act or verbally talk irresponsibly and carelessly once in awhile including me. Therefore, down syndrome or other mental disorder films can on some level or another can be an everyday occurrence and is not hard to do saying that anyone can do it- just be self absorbed, selfish and inconsiderate of others while allowing others to help you. Anyways, I had to see this movie because I like Jet Lee and stereotypical I did not know he can be in a drama film. The film is written and directed by Xue Xiao Lu, which may be a personal film based on actual experiences. At the beginning, Jet Lee as Wang Xingchang or as the characters in the movie call him Old Wang ties a rope to his son's leg along with his while sitting on a boat for it's very evident that his teenage son doesn't have any normal tendencies. Old Wang jumps into the water from his boat for the intention of killing himself as well as his only teenage son his name is Dafu. We assume at this point that it's one of those movies which the beginning is the end. But that is not the case at all for his son, Dafu saves him since he must be an excellent swimmer. The next scene has both of them coming into their apartment, and are not wet anymore but smell quite badly as acknowledged by his young female next door neighbor who's just stopping by to drop off some eats. And it was at this point he reveals to the audience that his son is autistic. That the reason he was attempting to kill himself by means of drowning along with his son was because he is dying of cancer for his son is unable to take care of himself and felt that it would be unfair to him if he couldn't get the proper care that he needs. Now because the setting takes place somewhere China, we get to witness some of the customs regarding how autistic people are treated in some areas. For instance, Old Wang is allowed to take his son to work which is maintaining the 'ocean resort' which includes janitorial and electrical, while his son is allowed to swim in the pool with the sea animals which is where he learned to become a great swimmer. This movie makes the possibility that although it's possible to take your child with you when you go to work, it's not possible to find the proper care he needs if that person happens to be the only parent who can look after him and that it'll be much harder if that specific parent is not around anymore. What I liked about this film is that it's not so much about the son as much as it's about whether or not one can find the proper care for him if anything were to happen to the parent which can be any parents dilemma. For it's generally harder to look after someone who is mentally disabled than it would be to look after a cat or a dog which owners don't have to worry too much about them all the time in comparison to a child who's suffering from mental disabilities. What prevented me to like this film even more is the expected cliché scenes of Old Wang training his autistic son to cook for himself and so forth... for it's different with each person and in my opinion didn't need it since the gov't can also provide some of the help too.

I'm a father of an autistic child, and I Can see my self and my son in this movie all the time. This is a great history that don't use stereotypes as genius children that can break complex codes or make complex mathematics operations in seconds for impress the audience, it is the story of a dying father making the impossible to give his son the possibility of independence before the cancer take his life. The performance of Jet Li as the father is remarkable, he lost him self in the character, and show us that he is an incredible actor. Wen Zhang makes an incredible job as the autistic son of Li, in some moments he makes my believe that he really was autistic. An incredible peace of art that must be running to an Oscar.

Ocean Heaven is an intriguing movie for several reasons: 1. It portrays a young man with autism, who also shows emotion; 2. We see a sanitized view of modern day China and how disability is supposedly supported by average citizens and the state; and, 3. A terminally ill father struggles with finding support for his son.

Each theme is a separate review I'm sure. I really did not want to like this film, and as a previous reviewer suggested, I was also prepared to turn my nose up after the opening dramatic scene. But I kept going with it. I'm glad I did.

The actor who portrays the young man with autism is actually quite believable. He gets the gestures just right, the mannerisms, the vocalizations,and the expressions. Having known people with autism--all across the spectrum--for thirty years now, I was amazed at how nuanced this performance was, and it did not fall into the mistakes of stereotypical portrayals, such as Rain Man. It worked. His emotional side, based on fear of the unknown, was handled well, as was his father's reactions to him.

The setting for the movie was another aspect of the film that captivated my interest. It is no secret that having a disability in Chinese society is complicated; there is stigma attached to the family, not much support in terms of formal schooling, and even less for social services in the community. It is not discussed, and rarely revealed. Most newborns with obvious disabilities (such as Down syndrome) are routinely abandoned in the hospital and left to die. So why this sudden sympathetic portrayal? Did China undergo a transformation after hosting the Special Olympics in 2008? They did, after all, implement a national policy of "be nice to people with disabilities" in preparation for those games.

The natural supports for Dafu (son) were all around him, if his father would only look. The character of "auntie Chai" totally got Dafu. She could have enlisted his work ethic in her store. He already had a "job" swimming with the fish and sea mammals at the aquarium. We saw scenes of him being one with the water and marine life. And so on. But the film takes us on a trip to see Chinese institutional care, segregated schools, and missed opportunities for true inclusion in his community.

There are side stories that don't advance the film, such as the circus troupe and the film star clown who juggles. The metaphor of the circus outsiders (some would also equate them to freak shows) accepting Dafu is an old cliché that wasn't necessary. Another side story that is not developed deals with his deceased Mother, who apparently could not handle the truth of her son's autism. There are veiled references to her untimely death as a suicide.

Now the story has legs. The real issue that is presented is that it is understandable, and even acceptable for a parent to intentionally kill their child with a disability. Pity the poor parents, who have to endure the shame and burden of a child with a disability. This is how most people really feel. In fact, there is societal support for parents who murder their child out of pity. In Canada there is a famous case of Robert Latimer, a father from Saskatchewan, who murdered his daughter Tracy because she had cerebral palsy. Most Canadians thought Mr. Latimer a sympathetic figure, not deserving jail time for his crime. There are numerous instances of children and adults with autism who end up dead at the hands of a caregiver or family member. Check out the website notdeadyet for further reporting on this subject.

So the opening scene, where Dafu chooses life for himself and his father is quite dramatic, and likely the best evidence of Dafu's intellect, emotion, and will to live. It is also a tribute to all those other people with disabilities who do not get to choose how their life unfolds, whether in China, or anywhere else.