Product Details

• Actors: Gong Li, Gao Xin, Jing-ming Shi, Yue Guan, Xiuqing Yue
• Format: Import, NTSC
• Language: Mandarin Chinese
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Widesight Entertainment
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000A2SYJW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,370 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Breaking The Silence" Is Well Heard, December 11, 2007

By 

B. Bratton "Bren Bratt" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Breaking the Silence (DVD)

"Breaking The Silence" is one of Gong Li's finest works. Li plays the Mother of a hearing-impaired son who wants very much to be "normal" and to go to "normal" school with other children in his community. Li tries, only in vain, to have her son accepted in the "normal" school through recitations with the school Principal, but her son is not accepted. To add to Li's struggles, her son's Father is an unresponsible parent who does very little to help Li as she struggles to make a living and care for a son who has a disability. This film is set in modern-day China and will appeal to anyone who loves Asian cinema and has struggles. Li's coping mechanisms are simply superb.

4.0 out of 5 stars A surprise -- better than expected --, January 2, 2011

By 

JNagarya (Reality) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breaking the Silence (DVD)

About a single mothers struggles to see her deaf son treated as normal. Better: to see him not subjected to discrimination on the basis of disability.

Has a clear political message against discrimination, much of which is based upon ignorance and misunderstanding, but no less damaging to its target.

As one who prefers Li Gong in non-glamorous roles (she isn't actually as glamorous or "gorgeous" to begin with, despite what many are taught to believe), such as "The Story of Qui Ju," and the excellent "To Live," I preferred this to such as "Raise the Red Lantern," which despite the plaudits strikes me as remote, even cold. This, by contrast, is surprisingly warm.

Recommended.

3.0 out of 5 stars Routine struggles, January 1, 2010

By 

J. A. Eyon "Little Raven" (Seattle - USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Breaking the Silence (DVD)

Except for the opportunity to watch the great Gong Li endure the most difficult travails, this film has little to offer beyond it's good intentions.

The story's premise dramatizes a problem found in many societies -- the denial of parents' of the deafness of their deaf or nearly-deaf children -- and their persistence in having them try to live like hearing people.

However, this film doesn't offer much insight into the deaf world. And this mother's struggles aren't too different from poor, single women with normal children. Many scenes wound up being a touch too familiar.

I didn't find the first 2/3s of the film involving, sad to say. The dramatic flow didn't kick into gear for me until the latter part of the film. And that was done by making things too dramatic.

The movie was filmed to present a dark, hopeless mood -- often at night or in dimly lit rooms -- but I suspect some of the too dark scenes may be due to the transfer to DVD -- but I can't be sure.

However, Gong Li can hold any story together. Even those, like this film, that try in vain to make her seem less glamorous than nature made her. She is very proud of her performance in this film -- and she deserves to be. But she's had better roles.