Ocean Heaven (Haiyang tiantang) (2010)

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A single father with terminal cancer prepares to face death, and struggles to ensure that his autistic son will be well cared for after he is gone in this emotionally-charged family drama starring Jet Li. David was only seven when his mother died. Now, at 22, he still doesn't seem to register that… More A single father with terminal cancer prepares to face death, and struggles to ensure that his autistic son will be well cared for after he is gone in this emotionally-charged family drama starring Jet Li. David was only seven when his mother died. Now, at 22, he still doesn't seem to register that she is never coming home. His father Sam (Li) works at an aquarium. With the help of their benevolent neighbors, David has managed to give his son a good life. But now Sam is dying, and soon David will be all alone. As his condition rapidly deteriorates, Sam attempts to provide David with the tools and lessons he will need to function independently in society. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Xue Xiao Lu
Written By: Xue Xiao Lu
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 31, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Feb 14, 2012
Studio: EDKO Film

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Steven V

The marketing for this movie went into overdrive with its touting of this being action star Jet Li's first dramatic role. Unless you count his appearance in a non combative role in Founding of a Republic and the various attempts to balance… More
The marketing for this movie went into overdrive with its touting of this being action star Jet Li's first dramatic role. Unless you count his appearance in a non combative role in Founding of a Republic and the various attempts to balance his action status with more dramatic acting chops such as Danny the Dog, then Ocean Heaven will be that maiden effort. Written and directed by Xue Xiao Lu, this modest effort is by no means small in ambition, having the likes of Jay Chou and Kwai Lun Mei lend their vocals to separate title tracks (with Kwai Lun Mei also starring in the movie), as well as being lensed by the renowned Christopher Doyle. Both Jet Li and Wen Zhang share great chemistry, which helps make their individual performance credible. Xue Xiao Lu also spends considerable screen time in outlining the father-son relationship, albeit that it's not quite the norm because communication almost always seem like a one way street and through many scenes, Xue Xiao Lu has allowed for an awareness of autism to ring through without resorting to over-reliance on melodrama to do so. I won't say this is a tearjerker, but there will be those who will inevitably be touched by Father's love, going by the amount of sniffles in the cinema hall.