Director Alex Law’s new tear-jerker of a blockbuster, Echoes of the Rainbow, sends you back in time to ’60s Hong Kong.

Based on his own experiences growing up in Hong Kong, Echoes of the Rainbow is a throwback to vintage Cantonese family drama. It follows the triumphs and pitfalls of a close-knit family as they navigate economic difficulties, political turmoil and the caprices of fate. Their story is narrated by 8-year-old “Big Ears,” the younger of two sons, who charmingly mixes wide-eyed wonder with childish clarity. The film was propelled to the international spotlight after taking home the coveted Crystal Bear award for Best Film at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

In the same vein as Hong Kong cinema classics like Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, Echoes of the Rainbow is heavy on the nostalgia. Although both movies fully romanticize a long lost era, Law’s Hong Kong is not the glamorous metropolis it is in Wong’s glittery opus. It is instead a community of concerned neighbors, full of simple pleasures and wholesome but rollicking humor.

Setting plays an indispensable role here. Shot along historical Wing Lee Street, the movie captures the charm of old Hong Kong by featuring much of the city’s original architecture. Attention to anachronisms goes down to the smallest details: old sewing machines were borrowed from actual residents of the neighborhood to ensure authenticity. The success of the film ultimately saved many of the buildings from demolition. And, although never at center stage, the social strife and political restlessness of that era is often referenced.

While some teary choke-ups are inevitable in a film that pays homage to ’60s Cantonese dramas, Echoes seldom feels emotionally manipulative. The soundtrack, full of vocals from Cantonese singer Aarif Lee, is packed with mournful and moving tunes. Though it teeters on mawkishness, what with the tinkling of piano keys loud and clear during emotional apexes, its excessiveness is not a deal breaker. Performances by the entire cast are stellar, and renowned thespians Sandra Ng and Simon Yam bring to dramatic scenes a punch of authentic pluckiness designed to tug at heartstrings.

Echoes of the Rainbow deserves a closer look. Peeling away the glassy faÇades of modern Hong Kong’s skyscrapers, it goes back five decades to gently probe a still-relevant reality. The title’s literal translation is “time, the thief,” and it would have been a better fit to describe the movie’s moving exploration of time’s passage and its inevitable brutalities.

More reviews on this ’60s set drama can be found on The Internet Movie Database, Screen Daily and The Hollywood Reporter

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DETAILS

What:Echoes of the Rainbow (岁月神偷)

Where: Available on DVD, check your local outlets

Language: Cantonese with English subtitles