Seventeen Years (Guo nian hui jia)

Released 1999
Stars Lin Liu, Bingbing Li, Yeding Li, Song Liang, Yun Li
Directed by Yuan Zhang

Seventeen Years, which is based on a true story, begins at the modest three-room apartment of a poor family of four in an old and rundown part of the northern Chinese city of Tianjin. The husband and wife have each been married once before and their two teenage daughters are from separate marriages. The stepsisters have completely different personalities. Yu Xiaoqin (Li Juan) is a diligent student, while her sister, Tao Lan (Liu Lin), is tough and less interested in school. The two girls, who share the same bedroom, are frustrated with the constrictive atmosphere of the poor household and dream about leaving. Because their parents treat them unequally, the girls have developed an intense rivalry. One day a family fight leads to tragedy, and one of the daughters is sent to prison for seventeen years. The film deals with the painful and uncertain reunion of the daughter with her mother and stepfather.

Summary by Richard Phillips