Only Cloud Knows

"To see Aotearoa’s landscape outside the lens of local filmmakers or the fantasy genre gifts Feng Xiaogang’s Only Cloud Knows a refreshing quality. Where homegrown filmmakers often let the whenua fill the frame, Xiaogang’s camera looks up towards the rangi with constant images of the settled sky and gentle passing of the clouds. These calm sights set the serene tone for Xiaogang’s romantic slice-of-life, based on the true story of his pal Zhang Shu, about a recent widower looking back at the life he led with his beloved wife in ’90s New Zealand."

"While Feng's latest may be unbearably sentimental and too blunt, it's also good enough, if you're looking for a little romance and a good cry."

"You could turn a camera on most any average couple's life and come up with something just as involving - or not."

"A shamelessly mushy weepie."

"The sheer force of the emotional manipulation on display is so undeniably unassailable, there’s just no option but to submit to its syrupy, sweet sorrow."

"Also featuring one of the best canine performances of the year, Only Cloud Knows is a charming, heartwarming and wrenching love story well worth seeking out."

"What could have been rather mournful instead becomes a poignant celebration of life thanks to Feng's deft handling of patently sincere material."