A Thousand Years of Good Prayers (2007)
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79% of critics liked it
(38 reviews) -
58% of users liked it
(839 ratings)
Wayne Wang's intimate drama A Thousand Years of Good Prayers stars Henry O as Mr. Shi, a Chinese man who, after the death of his wife, decides to travel to the United States in order to see his estranged daughter for the first time in over a decade. Their time together is awkward at first,… More Wayne Wang's intimate drama A Thousand Years of Good Prayers stars Henry O as Mr. Shi, a Chinese man who, after the death of his wife, decides to travel to the United States in order to see his estranged daughter for the first time in over a decade. Their time together is awkward at first, seeing each other only at dinner when he cooks for her. Shi spends his days taking in the strange culture, improving his language skills, and making a friend in an Iranian woman. Eventually his persistent attempts to forge a connection with his daughter lead to some buried issues bursting forth between the pair. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Directed By
- Wayne Wang
- Written By
- Yiyun Li
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Art House & International
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Sep 19, 2008 Limited
- Studio
- Magnolia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Joshua Katzman, Chicago Reader
As in most of Wang's films, a memorable cast of characters compensates for a serviceable plot.
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Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
A keenly observed portrait of a parent and child estranged by geography, language, ideology and generation. In other words, a universal story of family in the age of globalization.
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Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Wang's approach is measured and restrained, his shots simple and immaculate, the emotional stakes deepening scene by scene. It's a miniature gem.
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Todd McCarthy, Variety
A quiet work with Ozu-like structure and concerns, but remains more an intellectual exercise than one from the heart.
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Ty Burr, Boston Globe
A Thousand Years of Good Prayers feels like a fragile wafer of a movie, but it fills you like a three-course meal.
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Cast
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Henry O
as Mr. Shi
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Faye Yue
as Yilan
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Vida Ghahremani
as Madame
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Pasha D. Lychnikoff
as Boris
- Pavel Lychnikoff
- Feihong Yu
- Wes Deitrick
- Angela Dierdorff Petro
- Faye Yu
