Is Our Tradition Worth Watching? Honest Movie Review & Audience Verdict (2000)

📖 The Core Premise

With the release of Our Tradition (2000), audiences are invited back into the world of Drama. At its heart, the film explores complex themes wrapped in a compelling storyline. As the plot unfolds, we see characters navigating a world where stakes are high. "This family tale spans three generations of Chinese trying to understand and come to terms with life's changes. Middlesome relatives stir up a storm. The old and the young find themselves and their values developing and evolving, and new relationships come and go. The eldest family member, Guan, the son of a royal physician of the former Qing Dynasty, has also become a great physician who is able to predict the exact time of a patient's death. His ex-daughter-in-law, Yu, trained by him to be a physician, still stays with the family as his assistant. Her ex-husband, Jin, comes back from the USA with his new girlfriend, Jenny, a beautiful American who is doing a research on the death of Guangxu, the second last Emperor of Qing Dynasty who is Guan's father's patient. Jenny speaks fluent Mandarin, but she has a long way to go before understanding and getting accustomed to the Chinese tradition and mindset. On the other hand, Yu falls in love with her old friend who is a married man."

🎬 Performance & Direction

A movie's success often hinges on its execution. Unfortunately, Wang Zhixia feels underutilized in a role that lacks depth. The direction aims to balance pacing with character development, a hallmark of good Drama. While there are moments of brilliance, the pacing occasionally dips.

🤔 Why You Should Watch (or Skip)

Is Our Tradition worth your time? If you appreciate Drama films that take risks, this is likely a decent one-time watch. However, if you are looking for a flawless masterpiece, you might find some plot points predictable.

🏆 Final Verdict

Ultimately, Our Tradition misses the mark on several fronts. With a runtime of 98 minutes, it asks for a significant time investment, but for the right audience, it pays off.

Our recommendation: Skip It.