For Zhang Yang, family problems, specifically between a father and his son, are the central issue. The director has once again made a film about family problems - his last film Shower was about reconciliation between the old and the new generation. Jia Hongsheng epitomizes the younger generation who, between the late 1980s and early 1990s, went through a radical social change. Rock music, changes in values, and drugs all contributed to giving birth to a new type of life, stoking the anger between the younger and the older generation. This film recreates seven years of effort by a family to help one of their members get rid of drug addiction and also to help him find his identity. Zhang Yang was able to compress seven years into two hours by simultaneously employing theater, documentary and dramatic effects. The director crosses these three styles by employing effective narration, compressing and expanding time and space. But what makes this film fascinating is its use of character. Jia Hongsheng and his family′s acting are simply superb - realistic to the core. (Michelle Sohn)