Product Details

• Actors: Fengsen Jia, Xiuling Chai, Shun Xing, Tong Wang (II), Hongshen Jia
• Directors: Yang Zhang (II)
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Mandarin Chinese (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click here.
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: March 4, 2003
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000844M9
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,828 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Quitting" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compassionate piece about recovering from drug addiction, March 18, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Quitting (DVD)

First, it is hard to believe that the characters in the film are the real people involved in this tale of a man's real-life struggle with heroin addiction. Zhang Yang has done an incredible job with the film's cinematography, often drawing back from the aesthetics of a televised production to portray the work in a theatrical stage setting. This technique is effective in reminding me that these actors are truly the people involved in this drama. Jia Hongsheng does an incredible job of playing a selfish, vain, obsessive man afflicted with the disease of addiction. It is easy to feel his pain, and to also relate to his emotional turbulences. He finds peace through music, and immerses himself in the Beatles while he is unable to communicate with his family and the outside world. Jia's parents and his sister do a great job supporting him in this film, most notably his father as he struggles with the realization of his own alcoholism. This movie is beautiful, poetically created and emotionally acted out. The glimpse that we have into a real family's struggles is both tragic and liberating, reminding me of my own family dysfunctions, and of the hope for recovery.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vanity Project Or Meaningful Self Exploration? The Unusual Chinese Biography "Quitting" Is An Intriguing Oddity, February 7, 2007

By 

K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quitting (DVD)

"Quitting" is an audacious and unusual biopic from Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yang. Documenting the real life turmoil, including heroine addiction and institutionalization, of a well known young actor named Jia Hongshen--"Quitting" casts Hongshen as himself. Also cast as themselves are his parents, various friends, doctors and even mental patients. Asked to recreate disturbing scenes from their difficult past, the actors portray different stages during which Hongshen initially succumbs to his troubles and then strives to rise above them. It can be a somewhat awkward device to cast people as themselves (unfortunately what comes to mind are the TV biopics of Joan Rivers and American Idol's Fantasia Barrino), but in this case the intimacy works well. It probably doesn't hurt, however, that the principals had prior acting experience. This film is a noble and creative attempt, and its unorthodox approach offers much to be admired from a technical standpoint.

Ultimately, though, I feel that the film always kept me at arm's length. It deals with emotional and confrontational issues and yet never fully engaged me in the drama. There was plenty of potential to be moved and drawn into the compelling family dynamic, but just as you get to those moments--the film backs away as if it doesn't want the viewer to get too close. I think part of this stems from the artificial nature of its construction. There are frequent and sporadic interviews that halt the story and offer biographical insight. These are purposefully theatrical, they keep reminding us that what we're seeing is just a dramatization. In another filmic technique, several times the camera pulls away from what is happening to reveal that all is being performed on a stage before an empty auditorium. The film never lets you forget that the world presented, whatever truth it might be based on, is a fictional construct.

Don't get me wrong, I found this approach fascinating and different--but I did long to be more fully involved with the story. There isn't a lot of specific information provided that let me know about Hongshen as a real person--as an actor, as an addict, as a friend, as a man in mental turmoil. The film shows you precisely what it wants to, and nothing more. And, in truth, this provides a surface view only. One would think this "all access pass" approach to filmmaking would provide you with a greater understanding of the individuals involved--heck, they're playing themselves--but, no. But still, I admired much of the film's technique and its defiance of conventional standards. From a film appreciation standpoint, then, I'd award "Quitting" about 3 1/2 stars. While I may have wanted more, a great deal was still delivered. KGHarris, 02/07.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An internal battle against drugs..., July 17, 2003

By 

Kim Anehall "www.cinematica.org" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Quitting (DVD)

Quitting (Zuotian) is a film about Hongshen and his addiction to drugs. Hongshen, a former actor, lives in an apartment complex which he seldom leaves. The family finds out about his drug addiction and decides to move to where he lives and try to help him. However, this seems to tear the family apart and there seems to be no way out other than to institutionalize Hongshen for his drug addiction. Quitting is a narrative of Hongshen's life that grabs the audience with a serious undertone, but occasionally is playful through the characters that Hongshen meets through his habit. The film is an interesting contemporary Chinese film that entertains while offering a lot of food for the mind.