Rating: 
Summary: Desicration of innocence
Review: Joan Chen was going for a movie about China on the surface, but what I really saw was a movie about weak people. Xiu Xiu sells her self in vain for the sliver of hope that she might be sent home. Men coming into her and Loa Jins tent in the middle of the night to rape her, and she takes it! How she was objectified and blatantly used enraged and depressed me. Lao Jin (lopsang) understands XuiXui(lulu)yet does almost nothing to stop her, yet he loves her. Her innocence is destroyed and she might as well be dead, she is worth nothing to herself anymore. I am disturbed, and enlightened. I am provoked and stirred. Congrats Chen. The film covers a nature of all sides, It is the beautiful Tibetan scenery and the beautiful Xiu Xiu, it is the writing, the raw emotional.
Rating: 
Summary: A beautiful but brutal film
Review: Joan Chen, who has had a modest career as an actress in American films and TV, makes her directorial debut here in this brutal, poignant and beautiful Mandarin language film. Starring Lu Lu as Xiu Xiu, a teenaged girl from the city sent to the country during Mao's cultural revolution, and Lopsang as Lao Jin, a castrated Tibetan nomad who is to teach her horse husbandry, Tian yu is not so much an indictment of communist China as it is an indictment of human nature. Xiu Xiu is brutalized by small-minded bureaucratic males as has happened throughout human history, be they communist or feudal, her innocence and youth traded for an apple, her buoyant hope for life dashed by blind political and economic forces, and her self-respect stolen from her by the twisted logic of rape and lust.What elevates this story above what we have seen many times before is the striking beauty of the Tibetan countryside and the fine characterizations of both Xiu Xiu and Lao Jin. Lao Jin is a "gelding," made fun of by others, a man of quiet disposition who falls in love with his beautiful young charge, but stands aside because of his impotence. Xiu Xiu has an imperial nature natural to favored girls everywhere, be they Japanese "princesses" or American "valley girls," a nature very well depicted by the script and very well acted out by Lu Lu, whose delicate beauty and spicy temperament clash well with Lao Jin's Taoist stoicism. At one point he remarks wisely that "every place is the same," meaning of course that it is what we bring to the place that really matters. But his wisdom is completely lost on the teenaged girl who wants and needs society and all that it has to offer. And so, the underlying "love affair" between the two can never be...except...as it is in the end. Lopsang's performance is entirely convincing and Lu Lu is fascinating to watch. Joan Chen did a fine job with both of them while managing to keep politics and political agendas in the background. She concentrated on the human tragedy and made it universal. Both of her central characters had flaws that in some way led to the great sadness that they experienced, and yet they were not to blame. In this naturalistic expression we are reminded of the tragedies of novelists Thomas Hardy and Theodore Dreiser; and of course Chen was influenced by the work of Chinese director Zhang Yimou, in particular his sad, but captivating Raise the Red Lantern (1991) in which a beautiful girl is consumed and brutalized by societal forces of a different nature. This film misses being a masterpiece because of a hurried resolution leading to an ending that needed a bit more shaping. Nonetheless this is an arresting and compelling drama, beautifully filmed and sensitively directed. But be forewarned. "Celestial Bath" is a disturbing film not easily shaken from the mind.
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful but brutal film
Review: Joan Chen, who has had a modest career as an actress in American films and TV, makes her directorial debut here in this brutal, poignant and beautiful Mandarin language film. Starring Lu Lu as Xiu Xiu, a teenaged girl from the city sent to the country during Mao's cultural revolution, and Lopsang as Lao Jin, a castrated Tibetan nomad who is to teach her horse husbandry, Tian yu is not so much an indictment of communist China as it is an indictment of human nature. Xiu Xiu is brutalized by small-minded bureaucratic males as has happened throughout human history, be they communist or feudal, her innocence and youth traded for an apple, her buoyant hope for life dashed by blind political and economic forces, and her self-respect stolen from her by the twisted logic of rape and lust. What elevates this story above what we have seen many times before is the striking beauty of the Tibetan countryside and the fine characterizations of both Xiu Xiu and Lao Jin. Lao Jin is a "gelding," made fun of by others, a man of quiet disposition who falls in love with his beautiful young charge, but stands aside because of his impotence. Xiu Xiu has an imperial nature natural to favored girls everywhere, be they Japanese "princesses" or American "valley girls," a nature very well depicted by the script and very well acted out by Lu Lu, whose delicate beauty and spicy temperament clash well with Lao Jin's Taoist stoicism. At one point he remarks wisely that "every place is the same," meaning of course that it is what we bring to the place that really matters. But his wisdom is completely lost on the teenaged girl who wants and needs society and all that it has to offer. And so, the underlying "love affair" between the two can never be...except...as it is in the end. Lopsang's performance is entirely convincing and Lu Lu is fascinating to watch. Joan Chen did a fine job with both of them while managing to keep politics and political agendas in the background. She concentrated on the human tragedy and made it universal. Both of her central characters had flaws that in some way led to the great sadness that they experienced, and yet they were not to blame. In this naturalistic expression we are reminded of the tragedies of novelists Thomas Hardy and Theodore Dreiser; and of course Chen was influenced by the work of Chinese director Zhang Yimou, in particular his sad, but captivating Raise the Red Lantern (1991) in which a beautiful girl is consumed and brutalized by societal forces of a different nature. This film misses being a masterpiece because of a hurried resolution leading to an ending that needed a bit more shaping. Nonetheless this is an arresting and compelling drama, beautifully filmed and sensitively directed. But be forewarned. "Celestial Bath" is a disturbing film not easily shaken from the mind.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Film!
Review: My God, this movie was incredible! It stuck in my head for days after I saw it and I could not stop talking about it to anyone who would listen. The two main characters were wonderfully talented and moving and tragic. PLEASE! If anyone has any idea how I can get my hands on the soundtrack - post it right away!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic,stunning and heart wrenching.
Review: Note: The ethereal singer, for the soundtrack/songs in this film is CHYI (pron:chee yee), a very popular Taiwanese singer around the Asian region. Her songs and music are mostly dreamlike, ethereal, chinese new age. First, I must say that this film is not for everyone. Those who are used to conventional blockbusters may either like it a bit or even hate it. For those who are used to world cinema, foreign subject matters and human/personal nature or even subtitle reading will love it. ( All the reviews here will give you a clue ) Being a fan of world cinema and idolizes Zhang YiMou, Akira Kurosawa, Chen kaige , Kenji Mizoguchi and likes, I came across infos on this movie by accident and I knew it is a " must see" for me. What I saw was beyond my expectation and totally unprepare for the final sequences that left me shameless tears. Wonderful cinematography, fantastic barren landscapes of the Southwest Chinese steppes, great scripts and wonderful acting make this a MUST OWN for fans of World/Asian cinema. My congratulation to Joan Chen on her fantastic debut as a director. Charactor actors, from LuLu (Xiu Xiu) and Lopsang (Lao Jing)and other cast including the Peddler, Mother&father delivers powerful and heart wrenching performances. The English subtitle is excellent, but for me, or any others who understand mandarin and the various dialects presented in the movie, the scripts, the nuance of the language and the idioms and message deliverance are absolutely gorgeous , thus making this movie even more profound to me, with its simplistic beauty, subtle serenity and yet at the same time disturbing (the consequences of communism) and absolutely heartbreaking (relationship of the two main character). Some people mentioned the ending being melodramatic...but after seeing the movie, think again, if anyone were to be in the situation of Xiu Xiu, being ravaged, mentally and physically to the point of beyond help...and the helpless condition and mental anguish of Loa Jing, a man who cannot help nor provide, physically and physiologically, but sit and endure as he watch the systematic detioriation of an innocent girl. Lets just said, what happen at the end...can happen in real life ' in Asia or any where. Wake up ;), Its a crazy world we're living in. Never know when a person will just go cuckoo.... .
Rating:
Summary: xiu xiu conveys more than suffering
Review: Of course the central theme of the movie is to relate the tragedy experienced by a pure young girl during cultural revolution. The spirit of a youth to pursue the ideal dream of the great leap in cultural revolution is corrupted by the devil of Chinese Communism. My favourite element of this movie, however,is the aesthetic and especially the dramatic implications that brings forth to the audience. The scenery is no doubt beautiful. The original Chinese title,translated in English is "heavenly shower", signifies a pure uncorrupted spirit, the director however by using the ending scene to demonstrate an opposite meaning "heavenly death." The filming of the scenes is very detailed orientated. Every single scene implies some internal sentiments experienced by xiu xiu, more than its explicit content e.g. when she is asking for some precious water,not to drink, but to clean herself tells us that even though in some sense she is willing to be manipulated by men, in order to go home, she nevertheless still wants to be the pure girl she used to be. Apples are used as a reward for xiu xiu. The first apple she is given symbolizes a dream might come true but the second apple marks the beginning of her tragedy. Her emotional struggles are also portrayed by the old man, Lao Jin,who faithfully stays with her until the end of her life. Acting as her guardian, he does everything for the person he loves, no matter what xiu xiu has become. He is a striking contrast to those officers who just intend to seek pleasure in xiu xiu. I only mentioned a few dramatic impacts intended by the director but there are more in this film. A must see movie. The winners of The Golden Horse Award as best picture, best director, best actress (and others) are well deserved.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretentious and boring
Review: Oh, please, this movie was trying way too hard to be deep and meaningful, obviously geared to gullible Westerners. The only saving grace of this movie are the performances, especially Lu Lu's as the dim-witted girl. But c'mon, Joan Chen throws enough pathos, bathos, and whatever else she can to get a sad reaction, then ends everything with an inexplicable and unoriginal double suicide (the distinct mark of an artistic amateur is to end a sad tale with a suicide!). Am I supposed to be moved by this ending? Well, I wasn't. I was annoyed. I'm sorry, but real people don't act like how they act in this movie. Even Chinese people.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry the reviews far surpass the movie ...
Review: Ok so it may be blasphemy to 'dis' a Chinese short story type movie about the loss of innocence filmed in secret by an up and coming young female director Joan Chen, but, the movie was so deeply moving I felt that it was almost stagnant. Both Xiuxiu and Laojin appeared to remain practically stationary as far as charter development is concerned even though we are taken through some years of Xiu Xiu being in the hinterlands. Matter of fact I got the distinct impression that Xiuxiu never aged either physically or mentally in all the rough years that are depicted in the movie so if there was a loss of innocence it wasn't really shown or developed by the director in my view. Because of the directors' CONTINUOUS, BLATANT and GRATUITOUS tugging at our heartstrings, and, her critical commentary of the Chinese political system she obviously hates, and maybe, even feels that the country was a robber her of her innocence, that I can't even consider this movie as an 'art' film like 'Woman in the Dunes' but rather just a very expesive tear jerker that no one wants to criticize. 'Xiu Xiu' is, after all, a politically correct film and 'Banned for Sale in China'. By the way, what's with the 'R' rating on this film there's nothing 'R' in it by any standards of violence, gratuitous or not, and definitely sex is so tame you could show it to a middle school class with your mother present. Don't waste your money my friends this DVD is a mind numbing sleeper ....
Rating:
Summary: A classic for those filmgoers who want to be moved to tears.
Review: One of the most beautiful, emotionally powerful movies of all time.
The true-to-life story of what happens to Xiu Xiu is extremely sad and depressing. It's a brutal condemnation of the well-meaning, but misguided communist idea to put people to work in the barren reaches of the China countryside.
But the goodness of the few people who cared for Xiu Xiu, and who tried to help her, including the herdsman she is forced to live with and her young boyfriend left at home, show there is hope. The final scenes are overwhelming. See it you'll never forget it.
Rating:
Summary: Celestial bath - correction
Review: Please excuse me for posting twice. This is my second post just to clear something up for one of the reviewer here regarding the banning of this movie. Some information. The main reason for the ban is actually because the subject content , which is basically portray the corruption in the communist officials. It has nothing to do with the emasculation of Laojin. Laojin was emasculated in a Tibetan tribal war, which was rarely known to the western world . Within Tibet, there are over 20 different tribes and subgroups of Tibetans and they do occasionally go at each other's neck ...example ( like the various wars between the tribes of the North American Indians)....a fact that occurs from ancient time, even way before the founding of communism. Thus he was emasculated by a different Tibetan tribe. Yes, as with ALL other form of Buddhism,Thai, Tibetan,Burmese,Nepali,Chinese,Mongolian & Japanese Buddhism, you always loose Karma when you kill someone. The love relation of Loajin and Xiuxiu come as no surprise for us that live in Asia. Interracial marriages and love relationship of various ethnic groups between Tibetans, Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Thais, Burmese,Indians, Nepalis, Indonesian as well as westerners(expatriates), have been a very very common occurance for all of us who live in such close proximity. My long time companion and partner, is of different ethnicity. This should clear things up :) Genghiz
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