Return to 20 is directed by Chen Zhengdao and stars Yang Zishan, Lu Han, Gui Yalei, Wang Deshun and Chen Bolin, and at a glance you can see that it's a cast that pairs up the old and new actors. Yang Zishan plays a younger version of Gui Yalei, who plays Lu Han's grandmother, who, by a stroke of luck, reverts to her youthful 20s and becomes Yang Zishan, which changes the life of the grandmother and those around her dramatically.
As I mentioned earlier, "Back to 20" focuses on the themes of old age and young people's struggles. Regarding the issue of old age, the movie shows the family problems faced by the modern old people from a very objective point of view. On the one hand, the elderly can't really appreciate the hard work of their daughters-in-law, and on the other hand, family members are alienated from the elderly.
At the same time, the movie also shows a group portrait of the elderly, most of whom live a monotonous life, gathering together for nothing more than square dancing and chess games, and whose outlook on life differs more and more from that of the younger generation, and whose lives are inevitably marked by conflict.
Gui Yalei's portrayal of her grandmother in her old age was spot on, a rambling and thoughtful mother-in-law that made everyone around her feel tired, but with obvious comedic effect. This also sets the stage for the grandmother's "disappearance", which makes people resent the disappearance of the grandmother, and people are not particularly anxious, which also makes the grandmother to recognize her own faults again.
But the real climax of the movie will come when Yang Zishan appears on stage. The contrast between the grandmother's youthful appearance of 20 years old and the fact that she is still 60 years old inside, as well as her reintegration into the contemporary society, make the movie very appealing. Yang Zishan must also grasp the old age mentality and convince the audience that she is portraying a grandmother with a 60 year old mentality, and such differences accomplish great humor. Yang Zishan's precise performance makes the whole atmosphere of the movie more youthful and active as well.
The colorful style of the film
"Back to 20" is a very eye-catching film, and apart from the youthful and beautiful Yang Zishan and Lu Han, the art design of the film is also very unique. The clothes, props, and sets of the characters in the film are all visual, and even the color of Lu Han's blonde hair doesn't make people feel stuck in the eyes. The color palette of the film is a warm tone, and the director should be able to choose a mostly sunny time when shooting, so the overall style of the film's picture is very warm, coupled with the multi-colored sets with care, "Back to 20" picture worthy of praise.
Director Chen Zhengdao, who is familiar to mainland audiences from his previous films "101 Marriage Proposals" and "Master of Hypnosis," has made "Return to 20" a fantasy youth film of sorts, with a big contrast in style between his previous and subsequent works, and seems to want to try out all kinds of genres before he is willing to do so. But he is obviously able to handle suspense, fantasy, comedy, romance, such multiple genres, "Back to 20" such an eye-catching and warm comedy film in the New Year's Eve slot is more than appropriate, the front of the end of December 2014 New Year's Eve stalls are not warm, this January 8, 2015 release of "Back to 20" will obviously re-awaken the audience's love for Chinese films.