Breaking the Silence

Gong Li stars in this low-key drama about a single mother who will do anything to provide for her son. Sun Liying (Li) struggles to care for her hearing-impaired child Zheng Da (Gao Xin) after her taxi driver husband divorces her. After Zheng Da gets his hearing aid smashed in a fight with classmates, Sun Liying sets out to raise 5,000 yuan (a small fortune) to buy him a replacement. A friend helps her set up an unauthorized bookstall, which soon gets raided by the police. Later she splits her time delivering newspapers and cleaning house for a rich businessman. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival.

Director: Sun Zhou

Cast: Gong Li, Lü Liping, Lei Kesheng, Shi Jingming, Gao Xin, Yue Xiuqing, Qing Lin, Li Chengru

Audience-only score — full critic data not yet in the ReelXO vault.