Sacrifice (Kaige Chen, 2010): China

Reviewed by Gustav Orvefors. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

It’s allways nice to see chinese film that’s not composed entirely of fighting. It took me by suprise becouse Sacrifice gave something I wasn’t expecting. This movie have good story and a great message, and it delivers it in a way that keept me hooked the entire screening. The environment is absolutly amazing, and the mix of the traditional buildnings, cloths and landscapes made the film credible, which isn’t that easy whith such a complex story.

In Sacrifice we follow a doctor that sacrifices his own son to save the only child of the Zhao family. He decides to raise him only to make him revange the death of his son. In the film we watch how the child becomes older and rebellious. Does he have what it takes to do what he was born to do?

Even though Sacrifice is a serious and dark film, there are some humorous and loving moments that takes you by surprise, and that is something that makes the film warm and tender. First I though there was some clichés in the film, especially the bad versus the good man. But then I started to notice that there are several twists that makes you wonder who you are going to cheer for. The film is actualy more drama then action, but it is hard to notice between all the fighting. I didn’t  notice untill after I saw and though about the film.

Sacrifice definitely made a impact on me, and if you love heartbreaking storys about losing people close to you and action-scenes filled with kung fu, swords and blood this is the perfect movie for you.