The story tells a heartfelt tale about a young girl, Jiaying, coming to terms with her grief after the tragic death of her parents. While death seems to be a constant in Jiaying's life, with the death of her new adoptive grandmother coming shortly after her adoption, she finds love and support in her new family. This gives her the strength and courage to continue moving forward. The film is from China with dialogue in Chinese and English subtitles.
The film showcases how family members, in an attempt to be considerate of other feelings or protect them, sometimes hide and lie about serious matters. For example, Granny asks Jiaying to keep her cancer diagnosis a secret from her adoptive father. Later, when Granny realizes her cancer is getting worse she lies to Jiaying that she is in recovery. This decision is part of a recurring theme in the movie and can even be seen as a reversal of popular clichés. Normally, parents are the ones trying to shield children from learning about an impending death, but in this film, it is reversed.
I like realistic portrayal of how death, especially that of a loved one, affects their loved ones. Another thing I believe viewers will enjoy is how it shows how children, especially those suffering from the trauma such as Jiaying, adapt to new environments. The importance of a child having a support system and someone to confide in is shown -- Jiaying's support system consists of her adoptive parents and a grandmother. The grandmother ensures that Jiaying is allowed to process her emotions in the way she needs to.
The plot of the film is easy to understand and we see Jiaying not only recovering from her trauma, but also gradually opening up to others. She has a basic fear that anyone can relate to -- the fear of death. The production quality is excellent--the camera work is outstanding and so is the audio recording. The scenes are well lit and the framing is imaginative and insightful. The actors deliver wonderful performances and make one invested in the film with the actors that portray Jiaying and Grandmother delivering the best performances. The credits are all in Chinese so I can't identify the actors that play these characters.
The film motivates the viewer to not only think about death but about how the death of a loved one, especially in traumatic circumstances, affects a child. We see how love and support can help children move on from trauma and move into the future. We also see how families can support their members through acts of love and caring.
The film's message is that while death is inevitable and causes great pain, one can move on with love and support.
I give The Days with Granny 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. By Oyebisola O. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
The story tells a heartfelt tale about a young girl, Jiaying, coming to terms with her grief after the tragic death of her parents. While death seems to be a constant in Jiaying's life, with the death of her new adoptive grandmother coming shortly after her adoption, she finds love and support in her new family. This gives her the strength and courage to continue moving forward. The film is from China with dialogue in Chinese and English subtitles.
The film showcases how family members, in an attempt to be considerate of other feelings or protect them, sometimes hide and lie about serious matters. For example, Granny asks Jiaying to keep her cancer diagnosis a secret from her adoptive father. Later, when Granny realizes her cancer is getting worse she lies to Jiaying that she is in recovery. This decision is part of a recurring theme in the movie and can even be seen as a reversal of popular clichés. Normally, parents are the ones trying to shield children from learning about an impending death, but in this film, it is reversed.
I like realistic portrayal of how death, especially that of a loved one, affects their loved ones. Another thing I believe viewers will enjoy is how it shows how children, especially those suffering from the trauma such as Jiaying, adapt to new environments. The importance of a child having a support system and someone to confide in is shown -- Jiaying's support system consists of her adoptive parents and a grandmother. The grandmother ensures that Jiaying is allowed to process her emotions in the way she needs to.
The plot of the film is easy to understand and we see Jiaying not only recovering from her trauma, but also gradually opening up to others. She has a basic fear that anyone can relate to -- the fear of death. The production quality is excellent--the camera work is outstanding and so is the audio recording. The scenes are well lit and the framing is imaginative and insightful. The actors deliver wonderful performances and make one invested in the film with the actors that portray Jiaying and Grandmother delivering the best performances. The credits are all in Chinese so I can't identify the actors that play these characters.
The film motivates the viewer to not only think about death but about how the death of a loved one, especially in traumatic circumstances, affects a child. We see how love and support can help children move on from trauma and move into the future. We also see how families can support their members through acts of love and caring.
The film's message is that while death is inevitable and causes great pain, one can move on with love and support.
I give The Days with Granny 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18. By Oyebisola O. and Julie S., KIDS FIRST!
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