Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

OllieSuave-007 This is a touching Chinese drama, a story about Shenzhen businessman Da Ming (Cunxin Pu), who goes home to Beijing to see his father and mentally-handicapped Er Ming (Wu Jiang). Da observes them running the bathhouse and later realizes his father's health is declining and their home district is slated for razing. Therefore, Da must choose between his family and fortune.The acting was spot-on, expressing realism and drama; the growing relationship between the brothers Da Ming and Wu Jiang was particularly touching and will warm your hearts.The plot was solid and well-paced, touching on each aspect of the characters lives, all stemming from their beloved bathhouse and its magnet for the community. There are definitely scenes where it will give you some teary eyes and remind you of the nostalgic bygone days.The director did a great job in making a move about ordinary character lives interesting - captivating you from start to finish. No need for over-the-top acting or overkill action or extreme sci-fi/fictional stuff - just a simple but good family story.Grade A

netlover I often felt troubled when people asked me to recommend some Chinese movies, not because there weren't any good ones, but because those good ones did not depict today's China. Some of Yimou Zhang's and Kaige Chen's movies are not only good, but also, in my opinion, among the greatest ones that the world has produced. However, the stories in those movies happened many years ago; and these years are the ones that have seen the most dramatic changes of a country in history.My trouble ended with the introduction of Xizao (Shower) in North America. The humors are Chinese styled, but the emotions are, as someone has said in his comment, universal. The values on intimate family relationships, genuine friendships, and concerns for the general public are exemplified in a society that is trying to find a balance between modernization and tradition. When economic development and new technologies menace thousand-year-old lifestyles, people, especially the elderlies, become ambivalent towards them.A country with an extraordinary history and tradition experiencing the most rapid development in the world, today's China can be a perfect set for many more good movies. I often wonder why there are so few movies like Xizao. As it has proved, you don't have to touch heavy politics to depict an authentic picture of today's China. (Kaige Chen's Together is disappointing.)One of the commentators said the movie is uneven at some points. This is probably true, and unsurprising, given that the director is not as experienced as Zhang or Chen. However, I didn't notice the unevenness because I was captured by the actors' wonderful performances. You will be easily amused by Wu Jiang's performance as Er Ming; you would be more impressed by Xu Zhu's Master Liu and Cunxing Pu's Da Ming if you understand Chinese. These are the finest Chinese actors of their respective generations.I noticed that some commentators thought the story happened in a small village. This is a misunderstanding. The set is actually Beijing. Although bathhouses like the one in the movie exist in many Chinese cities, you feel more amazed by the changes that China is experiencing when you know this story happened in a metropolis, right?If you want to understand today's China, watch this movie. If you want to understand the China before and during the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976), you should check out Huozhe (To Live) and Ba Wang Bie Ji (Farewell My Concubine). Artistically, Xizao may not be a masterpiece compared to the latter two, but it is definitely worth watching. In today's world, movies as warm as this one remind us of the beauty of life.

sloughflux Like another reviewer said, this movie is not a heavy melodrama, but it deals with harsh realities. A very very playful movie that does not dwell for a moment. Some very good acting and some wonderful smiles as well.

David This beautiful story of an elder son coming home, and learning to love and be a part of all those things that he left home to get away from, is poignant and moving. It shows a society that is perhaps strange to us in the Western world, with a sense of family that we have lost. The story is beautiful, sad, and at times funny and comic. It has a feeling of realism that we don't seem to see any longer in our western movies.The acting is unusual, in that as the movie progresses, it almost gives the impression that it is not acting, but a documentary of ordinary people. This is brilliant directing and movie making.Would love to see more movies by this director.