Louis Vuitton Hawaii International FIlm Festival 2008

A modest tale of a teen son reconciling with his mother, SHI QI gains depth from an understated performance by Joan Chen. Set among the She minority in a hilly region of Zhejiang, story begins with a village celebration for teen Tianyi (Vision West), who's going abroad to study. Tianyi character functions as a contrast to the main character, one of his old friends, Zhong Qiqi (Sam Chow) -- aka Shi Qi ("Seventeen") -- who's holed up at home. Alienated from his mom (Chen), who supposedly abandoned him at age 2 and took him back eight years later, Shi Qi feels he's been robbed of life's chances, and finally determines to leave his hometown. But mom comes along for the ride, leading to a gradual rapprochement and the revelation of a secret. --Variety