From airline crashes to asteroid impacts; the disaster movie has been a genre stalwart of cinema for decades. With budgets stretching into eight, or even nine digit figures such films have always promised jaw dropping spectacle. Hand in hand with these special effect extravaganzas has tended to be the human drama. Often were dealt a bankable A-List lead to cheer for; other times were given a diverse ensemble to follow. But despite a few rare hits, most of the time such stories leave us feeling under-whelmed, story seconded to spectacle.
Despite a B-movie sounding, but aptly chosen, title, Aftershock (which is Chinas entry for the 2011 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar) thankfully hits high notes on all counts. Beginning with an awe-inspiring reconstruction of the 1976 earthquake that claimed a quarter of a million lives in Tangshan, China; Aftershock charts both the physical devastation of Mother Nature, and the longer lasting emotional toll wreaked upon those that survived the catastrophe.
Focusing on a single family, Aftershocks first emotional punch comes when a mother, Li Yuanni, is forced to make an impossible decision when her young twins become trapped underneath the rubble. Told that the rescue of one of her children will result in the death of the other, Li finally chooses to save her son Fang Da, sacrificing her daughter Fang Deng. Left for dead, Fang Deng miraculously survives in the rubble for days before finally being rescued.
Devastated by the decision her mother made, Deng is taken in by an adopted family, but remains quiet for years about the awful ultimatum that split her from her blood kin. Meanwhile a guilt ridden Li raises Deng, while the separated twins lead lives with amazing synchronicity. Decades later, another devastating earthquake stirs emotions within Deng and Da, resulting in a chance encounter that once again alters the lives of all concerned.
Despite a modest budget, Aftershock achieves epic proportions. The devastating natural disaster is realigned with impressive special effects, on par with most Hollywood efforts, whilst the art direction remains rich and textured throughout a lengthy runtime. But its not the earth shattering spectacle thatll grab you here; rather the superior performances that populate Aftershock. Chen Li gives an engrossing performance as Feng Deng, carrying the weight of the movie on her shoulders while Fan Xu turns in a memorable portrayal as the mother forced to make the most dreadful of all decisions.
Overall Verdict: Much more than a disaster movie, Aftershock succeeds where so many genre films have failed with the heartfelt and genuinely moving human drama that rests at its core.
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Reviewer: David Steele