Watch A Thousand Years of Good Prayers

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is a 2007 drama film directed by Wayne Wang, starring Henry O, Pasha D. Lychnikoff, Feihong Yu, and Vida Ghahremani. The film is based on a short story by Yiyun Li and centers around a father, Mr. Shi (Henry O), who travels from China to America to visit his estranged daughter, Yilan (Feihong Yu), who lives in the United States.

Mr. Shi is a retired widower and a traditional Chinese man who has never been outside of China before. He arrives in America with his limited English and is eager to reconnect with his daughter after many years apart. However, he quickly realizes that Yilan has become distant and is unwilling to open up about her personal life. The two spend their days together, visiting tourist attractions, and eating meals together, but Yilan remains closed off.

As Mr. Shi struggles to bridge the gap between himself and his daughter, he encounters a diverse group of people who offer him insight into the complex fabric of American society. He befriends a young Iranian woman, Madaline (Vida Ghahremani), who helps translate for him and takes him to a local library where he meets an elderly man, Mr. Kirk (Pasha D. Lychnikoff), who shares his own life story with Mr. Shi.

Through his interactions with these characters, Mr. Shi begins to understand that his daughter is not the only one with secrets and that everyone has a unique history and set of experiences that shapes who they are. He learns that he cannot force his daughter to reveal her secrets but must instead show her patience and love.

The film is a moving exploration of the complexities of family relationships, cultural differences, and the challenges of communication in a globalized world. The performances by the cast, particularly Henry O as Mr. Shi, are excellent, and the cinematography captures the beauty of both China and America.

Overall, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is a poignant and insightful film that explores themes of humanity, loss, and reconciliation. It is a quiet but powerful meditation on the struggle to connect with others and the importance of forgiveness and understanding.

A Thousand Years of Good Prayers is a 2008 romance movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 23 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.7 and a MetaScore of 64.