In Tangshan, the truck driver Da Qiang, his wife Yuan Ni (Fan Xu) and their twin Fang Da and Fang Deng are a happy simple family. On 27 July 1976, a devastating earthquake destroys Tangshan, and Da Qiang dies while trying to rescue his children from their apartment. When a collapsed beam traps Fang Da and Fang Deng, Yuan Ni is forced to decide between saving her son or daughter and she chooses Fang Da. However, her daughter Fang Deng overhears her mother's choice and miraculously survives. She is rescued by a soldier and adopted by Mr. Wang (Daoming Chen) and his wife with the name Wang Deng. Thirty-two years later, after an earthquake in China, Wang Deng that is married with a Canadian lawyer and lives in Vancouver with her daughter, travels to China and voluntarily joins the rescue team. She meets by chance Fang Da and she leans the drama of Yuan Ni along all those years. The family is finally reunited at Yuan Ni's home where bitterness are exposed and resolved.
The melodramatic "Tangshan Dadizhen" is a powerful drama about a family that is destroyed after the 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, where 240,000 dwellers died. The story is engaging, with a top-notch performance of Fan Xu in the role of a mother that has to make a choice that recalls the heartbreaking "Sophie's Choice", deciding which child shall survive to a catastrophe. This film is full of emotions, with great special effects and it is almost impossible to control the tears. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Separados Pelo Destino" ("Separated by Destiny")
The melodramatic "Tangshan Dadizhen" is a powerful drama about a family that is destroyed after the 1976 earthquake in Tangshan, where 240,000 dwellers died. The story is engaging, with a top-notch performance of Fan Xu in the role of a mother that has to make a choice that recalls the heartbreaking "Sophie's Choice", deciding which child shall survive to a catastrophe. This film is full of emotions, with great special effects and it is almost impossible to control the tears. My vote is nine.
Title (Brazil): "Separados Pelo Destino" ("Separated by Destiny")