Overview
A poignant tale of love and memory set against the backdrop of political turmoil.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- heartbreaking
- tender
- quiet evening
- reflective movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as a powerful, tearjerking domestic melodrama that transforms political upheaval into an intimate story of love and memory.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lu continues caring for Feng despite political imprisonment, amnesia, and her inability to recognize him.
The Cultural Revolution and labor-camp imprisonment are experienced primarily through the couple's fractured household.
Feng's amnesia prevents her from identifying Lu even as he attempts to restore their shared past.
Critics specifically praise the film's heartbreaking emotional subtlety and understated storytelling.
Films like Coming Home, and why
Doctor Zhivago
shared historical trauma, sweeping romantic melodrama, and intimate political displacement
The English Patient
shared postwar separation, memory, and restrained domestic heartbreak
The Lives of Others
shared political imprisonment, enduring devotion, and emotionally devastating family drama
The Vow
shared separation, amnesia, and tender romantic persistence within a historical setting
Movie Details
- Director
- Zhang Yimou
- Release Date
- 2014-05-16
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (211)
Cast
- Gong Li
- Chen Daoming
- Zhang Huiwen
- Guo Tao
- Liu Peiqi
- Zu Feng
- Yan Ni
- Xin Baiqing
- Zhang Jiayi
- Chen Xiaoyi
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Coming Home about?
- A political prisoner returns to his amnesiac wife, turning a reunion into a patient, heartbreaking struggle to rebuild a marriage erased by history.
- What is Coming Home like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Coming Home as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Coming Home violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Coming Home as mild.
- What did critics think of Coming Home?
- Critics broadly regard it as a powerful, tearjerking domestic melodrama that transforms political upheaval into an intimate story of love and memory.
- Which films are like Coming Home?
- Films with a similar feel include Doctor Zhivago, The English Patient, The Lives of Others, and The Vow.
- How long is Coming Home?
- Coming Home runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Coming Home?
- In United States, Coming Home is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
