If you ever told me that I would be a puddle of tears simply watching a Jet Li trailer, I’d have to laugh at you because I’ve only really known him for being a martial arts actor. However, I’ll never view him the same way again.
Ocean Heaven is a powerful film from director, Xiao Lu Xue. Jet Li stars as Wang Xincheng, an aquarium technician who is terminally ill, but through every mouthful of pills he has to swallow and pain searing throughout his fragile body, he continues to do everything humanly possible to make sure his autistic son, Dafu (played by Wen Zhang) will be able to survive in the world without him.
The opening boat scene in this movie is where you’re probably going to shed your first tear. A million emotions might be swirling through your head and there could be some hatred for Li's character, or maybe it's actually a little relatable, if you are/have been, in his shoes. It's quite a lot to process at first but sets the tone for an intense movie-viewing experience.
This movie has so many layers too. It is interesting to note how “face culture” is explored while still applauding the level of vulnerability that is woven throughout with the lead male character, which makes it even more incredible to watch and notice all the nuances.
The aquatic cinematography by Christopher Doyle is beautiful and as an audience, we can see how free Dafu is in the water – a sensory pleasure for him and for us to observe. The film also excels at showing emotional frailty at different stage in life and the burdens we carry, or perceive them as such, only to sometimes be surprised when we truly open our eyes and see someone for who they are.
This is the reality for Wang’s character, as he desperately tries to teach Dafu how to live, only to realize his son is already living, just not in the way he had expected. We deeply empathize with his struggles, cheer for his small triumphs and ultimately gush over his unconditional love for Dafu till his final breath.
What else can we take from the movie? We’re not getting out of here alive. We will all die someday, some sooner than others. No one is ever truly alone though, even if it may feel like that during times of despair. A gentle hand is always out, a shoulder is there to cry on, you just have to reach for it.
Ocean Heaven displays a true testament of the power of human connection - in this situation, a father-son bond that is unbreakable and that no matter how different, we are all still very capable of having the same heart.
Final thoughts:
Everyone views autism through different lens and no two people are alike entirely. To me, that is the beauty of being human. Those who are on the autism spectrum or prefer the term, neurodivergent, or even something else entirely (apart from the medical side for diagnosis, this remains an individual choice, as some also don’t feel a label is necessary to define their personal identity at all), see the world in very different ways.
While some may argue the idea of why a person with autism wasn’t cast for the role of Dafu, instead of an actor, I can simply appreciate this movie for the vision it had to tell its story, along with the intensive preparation done by Wen, and the creative and artistic merits of all the crew.
For many reasons, I was so deeply moved by this film from the very beginning to the final moments when the credits ended, as was my husband, Bill. We were discussing this movie a lot afterwards and our new-found love for sea turtles.
💜Have you seen this movie, what did you think? Feel free to send me a note!
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