How many of these 18 domestic films that were critically acclaimed but not commercially successful have you seen?

The box office performance of a movie is an important indicator of its success. However, there are some works that, although their box office performance is not so impressive, have good audience reputation. Here are 18 Chinese-language films in recent years that have not had high box office performance but have a good reputation.

1. The Thief of Time (2010)

Douban score: 8.7

Plot summary: Hong Kong in the 1960s was full of changes. On the one hand, it had to endure the suppression of the British Hong Kong government, on the other hand, it was affected by the mainland movement, and it had to face typhoons and rainstorms from time to time. The old Wing Lee Street was at the center of such a storm.

The shoemaker Luo's family of four makes a living by making shoes at the end of the street. Mr. Luo (Simon Yam) makes good shoes, but can only support his family in that chaotic era; Mrs. Luo (Sandra Ng) is a sharp and straightforward person, known as "Mrs. Luo the Thief". The eldest son Luo Jinyi (Aarif Lee) is 16 years old, excellent in both character and study, the champion of the sports meeting, the hope of the whole family, and the pride of Yongli Street; the youngest son Luo Jiner is 8 years old, doted on by his parents, naughty by nature, and famous for his mischievousness and pranks... The family lives a hard life, but they are also happy.

However, the pure and beautiful first love between the eldest son and the rich lady Fang Fei, a hurricane and rainstorm sweeping across Hong Kong, and a long-lurking nightmare, caused the peace and happiness of this ordinary family to change suddenly and be shattered overnight... Faced with the biggest "thief" of time, how can the indomitable people resist?

2. See You in Heaven (2009)

Douban score: 8.7

Plot summary: In the late 1970s, the frenzy of the times was gradually fading. In a quaint town in the south, the little girl Jiang Xiaolan (played by Zhu Yinuo) and her grandfather (played by Zhu Xu) depend on each other for life. Xiaolan's parents were sent to the frontier in their early years, and she was bullied and excluded at school because she had the same surname as the "biggest class enemy." The shabby courtyard is Xiaolan's freest world, and the big wardrobe at home is her last refuge. In his early years, due to war and disease, grandpa almost lost all his relatives, so this naughty and kind granddaughter became his whole life. Time passes slowly, and the small town with drizzling rain always carries an indissoluble melancholy. Xiaolan (played by Yao Jun), who longs to become a gymnastics champion, grows up day by day, while the grandfather who always cares about her is slowly getting old...

This film is the directorial debut of the famous movie star Jiang Wenli and the final film of veteran actor Zhu Xu of the People's Art Theater. The film won the Audience's Favorite Film Award at the 14th Busan Film Festival in 2009.

3. Heart Labyrinth (2014)

Douban score: 8.7

Plot summary: A young man who wants to break free from the control of patriarchy accidentally kills a ruffian from the same village during a dispute and is forced to flee. He never thought that he would escape from his comfortable life in this way, but when he left, he was shocked to find that fate had already tightly linked him to his authoritarian father, and he would lose everything whether he left or stayed.

A left-behind woman who suffered from domestic violence found solace in the arms of her former lover. In the darkness, the desperate woman conspired with her lover to kill her husband, but when the news of the reckless man's death really came, the lover avoided her and denied everything. When the woman fell into despair again, another man appeared in her life, and he brought more than just care to the woman...

An old village chief with integrity and strict self-discipline carefully planned his retirement life. He was loyal to his faith all his life, but he easily bowed his head in front of his nature; a stain fell on the blueprint of fate, and he tried his best to wipe it off, but he peeled off a black hole and fell into it.

4. The Piano in a Factory (2010)

Douban score: 8.4

Plot summary: In the early 1990s, a heavy industrial city in Northeast China. After being laid off, Chen Guilin (played by Wang Qianyuan), a former steel factory worker, started a band on his own, running around in the business of weddings, funerals, and store openings, barely making ends meet. His wife Xiaoju (played by Zhang Shenying) ran away from home and turned to the arms of a wealthy counterfeit drug dealer. Now Xiaoju has returned in a glamorous way, not only to divorce Guilin, but also to fight for the custody of her only daughter Xiaoyuan. Guilin lamented his failed fate, so he was determined to train his daughter to be a pianist. In order to get his daughter, he raised money to buy a piano everywhere, and even broke into the school at night with his girlfriend Shuxian (played by Qin Hailu) and a good friend from the steel factory at that time to steal the piano.

When all other methods failed, Guilin accidentally came across a Russian document about pianos, so he called on his partners to start the journey of hand-making pianos in the dilapidated factory...

5. Twelve Residents (2014)

Douban score: 8.4

Plot introduction: This film is adapted from the classic film "12 Angry Men". A mock court of a certain university is debating a real case that happened not long ago in the society. The suspect in the case is a rich second-generation adopted by a real estate developer, and his biological father is a migrant worker from Henan. On the night of the incident, someone heard a fierce quarrel between the rich second-generation and his biological father, and then the biological father was killed at home. The students debated fiercely about whether the suspect was guilty, and their father watched the entire court trial process as a jury. During the recess, 12 jurors were taken to another room for discussion. They had to come to a conclusion within an hour, and they needed to vote unanimously to decide whether the suspect was guilty. These people came from all walks of life and had different backgrounds. Everyone generally hoped to get things done as soon as possible, but after the first round of voting, only juror No. 8 thought the suspect was not guilty. Some people were furious, some ridiculed and joked, some were wavering, and some were stubborn. This is a battle about conscience and morality...

6. Flying Against the Light (2012)

Douban score: 8.2

Plot introduction: This film is adapted from a true story. It tells the story of Yuxiang, a boy with extraordinary musical talent who plays the piano well but is born blind. He insists on not participating in any competitions, hoping to have a life like an ordinary person. The first time he left home to go north to study, he met Xiaojie, a girl who loves dancing but was forced to give up her dream for some reason. Yuxiang can "see" the beauty in the world that others cannot see, and has never given up on this world. He is like a ray of warm backlight that shines into Xiaojie's cold heart, and Xiaojie leads Yuxiang through adventures he has never tried. Two souls that seem to never intersect become the power that each other has lost. The dazzling backlight behind the two is warming and encouraging them to spread their wings and fly towards their dreams.

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