sunnydlita I just saw "Peacock" tonight as part of the New York Asian Film Festival. The review I read prior to watching this film touted it as one of the few stories set in post-Revolutionary China that isn't depressing. While this is true, "Peacock" is not sentimental either. Instead, it depicts the realities of small-town family life in a matter-of-fact manner that makes you feel for the characters even more.The family dynamics were so real and relatable. Although I am Chinese-American, and my upbringing took place in comfortable suburban America, I could definitely recognize elements like the passive aggressive "tough love" of the mother toward the daughter (although my own mom is not quite so extreme), and the painful awkwardness of huddling in silence with my brother while family members audibly fought in the other room. The love-hate rivalry and relationships that each member of the family felt for one another, co-mingled with the accepted duties of filial piety and self-sacrifice (nowhere is this realized more than in the two younger siblings' treatment and attitude toward their older brother), was nuanced and realistic.The performances were all amazing, particularly the actresses who played the mother and the daughter. The elder actress' portrayal of a hardworking woman who loved her entire family but expressed it differently toward different family members made me want to call up my mom right after the movie. And the actress who played the daughter made a role that could have come off a bit bratty into a three-dimensional character whom you could root for. She was perfectly vulnerable and tough at the same time. Truly a unique character.The only flaw I found in "Peacock" was that the third act felt rushed, and plot progression was suddenly very abrupt. The third act was ostensibly about the youngest child (the narrator), but I learned more about him when he was "silent as a shadow" in the first two acts.... SPOILERS BELOW... .. .. .. It was hard to relate to him after he suddenly blew back into town, complete with swagger and a worldly new family. It felt a bit out of character, but also -- I didn't realize that being pulled out of school (all because of one dirty drawing?) meant that he ran away from home, and also, how did he go from serving at a rest home (in character) to being a cocky smoker? How did he lose a finger? How did he become so shiftless and lazy? And when did he reconcile with his wife? (In the penultimate scene with the two of them, she says she wouldn't have married him if she had known he didn't want to work for a living, but then in the final peacock scene, they look like a happy family again.) .. .. .. Despite what I perceive as a rushed ending with holes in character and story development, the film as a whole is beautiful, both sensually and content-wise. It is a realistic and compassionate depiction of family life that I believe most viewers will find to be fairly universal.

Tomas Sarpnickas Before I went to see this movie in Lithuanian non-Hollywood film festival Kino Pavasaris, I was warned by friends, that I must prepare to watch a very depressive film from China. And I'm wondering why it didn't seem depressive to me at all. Not a comedy, I must admit, but a masterpiece about life. Maybe some people think so because of it's ending, I don't know. Kong Que or peacock is a must see Chinese drama for those, who still love cinema. And for those who still wants to be surprised by it. The only weak side of Kong Que is a story about the youngest son in a family, which isn't so impressive as the stories of his siblings. Anyway, acting, directing & cinematography is great. I hope you'll have great time watching it, as I did. But be prepared this movie is longer than 2 hours.

Adam Hsieh After getting the silver bear award in the Berlin International Film Festival, the film "Peacock" drew quite a lot of people's attentions, including me. I didn't read any synopsis or articles before going to the cinema. The film started while my knowing nothing about it. "Peacock" is three stories about three people-the elder sister who keeps on seeking her dream, the elder brother who is not so smart but pretty kind, and the young brother who wants to get out of the cage of his family. Life is like this. Having a dream, then the dream is broken. Having another dream, than the dream is broken again. And we grow up during getting and losing out dreams. When looking back to the past, we can hardly believe that we ever had such a beautiful dream. That's what we call youth. It passed like flowing water, without any attachment. What is your dream? Make it come true before it is gone. Life is just as short as a peacock's spreading its tail. In fact, I wasn't deeply attracted by the film when watching it for the first time. However, I found it difficult to help thinking about it again and again the following days. I didn't really realize the bitters of life in the film without spending some time. It must be the reason why "Peacock" fascinates me and many of us a lot.

shhyin This is actually an excellent work of art full of symbolism. The director doesn't force to impose his ideas into your mind, which is the very reason the pace is set slow. The movie was exposed with strong cinematic languages, such as stage drama-like long shots, great acting, and finally fabulous music. The music matches the theme so well that we are reminded of the music composed by Glass for "The Hours". It circumvents your usual expectation of a social environment of Mainland China in late 1970s' and early 1980s', during which the Chinese society was in the dawn of spectacular transformation, economically and culturally. It tells the story of the cruel reality of life. It looks like there is not bit happiness in the movie. No true love, no respect between people, all about humiliation and desperation, leaving alone realizing one's dreams. But the movie reveals tremendous subconsciousness of a lot of people who failed to express it by themselves and presents profound, twisted human nature in certain social circumstances. If you ever lived through that period in China (maybe even now, for some people, in some part of that country, although the situation has been greatly improved), it inspires enormous imagination and thoughts. Life, life, life, how many people didn't enjoy your beauty before you pass by without a trace? Surely the concepts of human dignity and meanings of life come upon surface again. The style is so "anti-Hollywood" and so efficient and once again proves that the language of films is universal. What a shame that only a very limited population have gotten the chance to watch it. Although it's pretty long (144 minutes), you just expect more from this great cameraman-turned-movie director. So what's his next? Could he recruit enough resource to make a movie about today's China with philosophical symbol? One can't help but holding his breath because this man is definitely talented enough to get out one some day.