Quitting
Release Date:
September 13, 2002
Pushed back from July 26, 2002
Limited release
What's so unusual about a film that shows the struggles of a person with a drug addiction? Normally, not much. But this time, the principal actors of the movie recreate their own lives for the camera.
Chinese film star Jia Hongsheng had a bit of a problem with heroin in early 1990s. Of course, this touched the lives of all those around him: his parents, his doctor, and his friends. And all of them portray themselves in this film that looks back at their dark period.
Jia's naturally fragile psychological state was shattered with the drug use. He fell into deep despair and blocked himself off from the world. His parents left their small theater troupe, packed up their belongings, and set off to help their son. This journey takes the family through their son's time at a mental institution and his eventual rediscovery of himself and their relationships.
Another interesting tidbit is that the director of this movie, Zhang Yang, was the director of a Chinese theatrical production of Kiss of the Spider Woman, where our star had his first experience with drugs. The film had its US premiere at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and has been receiving critical acclaim at film festivals worldwide. It even won the Best Feature Film award at the 2001 Bangkok Film Festival. (Marty Doskins/BOP)
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