When I saw the name “Jet Li” at the top of the advertisement for Ocean Heaven, I was trying to figure out what type of martial arts might take place on the water. As I read a brief synopsis of the film, I realized that this movie did not have a martial arts flavor. I wasn’t positive, but Jet Li in a serious role piqued my interest. I immediately dropped this film into my queue and began streaming. It was a solid pick.
Ocean Heaven starts off with a somewhat surreal scene of a father (Sam, played by Jet Li) and his autistic, adult son Dafu (Wen Zhang). The scene has a peaceful facade, while an undercurrent of horror lurks just beneath the surface. As we watch the very casual, strangely loving events unfold, the reality becomes stark. This is not going to end well. Or does it? We are not immediately aware of why the film starts with such a shocking event, but slowly realize that the love we feel in that opening scene is a deep emotion that bonds a single father with his autistic son in every facet of their lives.
We learn more about Dafu’s autism, the loss of his mother and Sam’s own struggles in the aftermath of a memorable opening scene. The film explores the struggles of a mildly autistic adult child as his father tries earnestly to help him become more self-sufficient. We explore the world of autism through an emotionally charged set of circumstances that demonstrate the incredible love and patience of a dedicated father who won’t always be around to protect and care for his son.
Ocean Heaven is a powerful film. It succeeds on many levels. While the plot is linear, the story is in the telling. The deep character study exposes our own nerves, touching sensitive spots as we champion Dafu. It is hard not to want the best for such an innocent, child-like man. I was pulled into the characters by the incredible performances of both Li and Zhang. The pair convinced me that they were father and son. Zhang’s performance took me back to my own childhood. I had a good friend whose brother exhibited autism in many of the same characteristics displayed by Zhang. The film is not judgmental, unrealistic or stereotypical. It simply uses a touching story to shed light on a topic that receives little attention. The circumstances created in the plot endear the characters and their plight to an audience certain to require Kleenex while watching.
There are very few films that reach me the way that Ocean Heaven did. I hate feeling manipulated into emotional connections with a film. Some movies use contrivances or forced situations to create emotional impact that feels artificial. I struggle with those films because the dramatic elements are so superficially evident. This film goes deeper. It touches a common place in your soul where genuine emotions reside. While the circumstances in this film were certainly manufactured for effect, they did not feel forced, contrived or manipulative. Instead, we know what’s coming and are affected by it nonetheless. It is an effective use of drama to connect realistic characters to the audience. It is a compelling story that profiles the struggles and triumphs of a family dealing with autism.
Ocean Heaven opens with a shocking sequence that may create difficult questions by younger viewers. The film deals, in broader strokes, with death and suicide. These strong subjects are handled with a delicate hand that would not lead me to restrict this film from any particular audience. The film has very little questionable subject matter. While this fill was not rated by the MPAA, it may have gotten as high as a PG-13 for the subject matter, but may have eked out a PG rating. Aside from the topic of this film, I found very little objectionable material. I would allow any age to watch this amazing, engaging, heart-wrenching film.
I am not sure why Ocean Heaven was overlooked in the United States. It is a low budget film, at seven million dollars. However, there is nothing low budget about this incredible story. I do not recall having seen this film at my local independent theaters when it was released in 2010 and I’m certain it never hit any of the big movie houses near me. A gripping script, incredible performances and engaging characters took a simple plot and elevated it to an emotionally charged experience that held my attention from start to finish. And yes, I got choked up more than once, never feeling manipulated by the story. A delicate hand by Writer/Director Xiao Lu Xue left me teary-eyed, with a newfound appreciation of philanthropist Jet Li. 8/10.
