Cover The poster of Chinese movie ‘Dear You’, which has become a box office hit in Asia this month (Image: courtesy of IMDB)
The poster of Chinese movie ‘Dear You’, which has become a box office hit in Asia this month (Image: courtesy of IMDB)
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Looking for a heartwarming tearjerker or a hilarious family movie? Here are 7 Chinese films about family dynamics to watch, from ‘Dear You’ to ‘The Farewell’
Family duties, gender inequality, and generational gaps are topics that are sometimes still considered taboos within Chinese households. Very often, these complex tensions remain behind closed doors or are quietly swallowed down by family members who prefer not to “disgrace” the family name.
Cinema, in this way, offers a fascinating window into shifting family values and emotional dynamics that are otherwise hidden beneath the surface. From a young woman rebelling against feudal, patriarchal rules in modern China in Zhang Yimou’s classic film Raise the Red Lantern, to Lulu Wang’s The Farewell examining cultural and generational divides, and the recent box-office hit Dear You exploring the fluid meanings of love, duty, and lineage, Chinese cinema offers some of the world's most touching and inspiring tales.
Here are seven essential movies to add to your watchlist.
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1. Dear You (2026)
Above The trailer of ‘Dear You’ (2026)
Dear You centres on a debt-ridden young man who travels to Thailand in search of his wealthy grandfather, who was originally forced to abandon his family to avoid being drafted by the Kuomintang during the Chinese Civil War. As the grandson’s journey unfolds, he learns that his grandfather has been dead for decades. This discovery directs him to investigate the mysterious individual who wrote a series of poetic love letters to his grandmother, ultimately uncovering a half-century-long family secret built on enduring devotion, historic duty, and qiaopi—the remittance letters traditionally exchanged between Chinese migrants overseas and the families who stayed behind in the homeland.
Directed by Lan Hongchun, this modestly budgeted movie boasts a cast composed largely of unknown actors and recently swept the Asian box offices.
2. The Farewell (2019)
Above The trailer of ‘The Farewell’ (2019)
While this is an American comedy-drama production, it features significant Chinese elements and themes. Directed by filmmaker Lulu Wang, the narrative follows a young woman, played by Awkwafina, who returns to China after learning her beloved grandmother has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The family collectively decides to keep the diagnosis a secret from the matriarch, leading to a massive, beautifully chaotic family gathering and a moving, witty exploration of cross-cultural clashes.
3. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
Above The trailer of ‘Raise the Red Lantern’ (1991)
Directed by Zhang Yimou, this cinematic masterpiece stars Gong Li as a 19-year-old educated woman who becomes the fourth concubine of a wealthy warlord in 1920s China. The film offers a haunting exploration of how a suffocating patriarchal system systematically pits women against one another for basic survival. Its bold critique of systemic patriarchy, combined with its artistic visual mastery and audacious use of allegory to critique authoritarian control, historically led to its temporary ban in mainland China.
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4. Brief History of a Family (2024)
Above The trailer of ‘Brief History of a Family’ (2024)
This 99-minute psychological thriller takes an alternative, gripping path in examining the long-term domestic repercussions of China’s one-child policy, which officially ended in 2015. Set in post-one-child-policy China, the fictional tale follows how a middle-class family’s fate becomes deeply intertwined with their only son Wei’s enigmatic new friend, Shuo, who arrives with a troubled background. As Shuo integrates himself further into the household, he gradually discovers that their comfortable material existence is shadowed by unspoken secrets, unmet expectations and suppressed emotions.
Directed by Lin Jianjie, this co-production between China, France, Denmark and Qatar secured official selection status and nominations at premier global events, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Golden Rooster Awards.
5. Sister (2021)
Above The trailer of ‘Sister’ (2021)
Sister is a critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama that follows An Ran, a young nursing student whose plans for personal independence and medical school in Beijing are completely derailed when her neglectful parents suddenly die in a car crash. The tragedy forces her to become the sole caregiver for her six-year-old brother.
Directed by Yin Ruoxi and starring Zhang Zifeng, this box-office hit explores heavy social themes, including traditional filial piety, patriarchal expectations, and the poignant clash between individual ambitions and family duties in modern China.
6. Mama Rainbow (2012)
Above The trailer of ‘Mama Rainbow’ (2012)
Popo Fan’s groundbreaking documentary Mama Rainbow profiles six mothers from across mainland China who step forward to speak openly about their unconditional love and acceptance for their gay children, radically redefining traditional Chinese family bonds. The production received widespread acclaim, securing the LingLing Award at the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
Above A film still from ‘Forbidden Love in Heaven’ (2020) (Image: courtesy of Ran Yinxiao)
A film still from ‘Forbidden Love in Heaven’ (2020) (Image: courtesy of Ran Yinxiao)
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7. Forbidden Love in Heaven (2020)
Directed by Ran Yinxiao, who was just 19 years old when he made the film, Forbidden Love in Heaven follows a gay couple who adopt a homeless child and build a life together, exploring the distinct challenges sexual minorities face when attempting to start a family in China. This micro-budget film, produced for just 50,000 yuan (US$6,900), became a rare hit when it rolled out across several Chinese streaming platforms. Its success was particularly notable given the social context that same-sex couples cannot legally marry or adopt in mainland China.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
