Aftershock, the so-called tearjerker movie from Chinese director Feng Xiaogang, moved many movie-goers to tears at its North America Premiere during the 35th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Friday.

"It was a very powerful movie. The movie reminds us of a painful period in China," Cameron Bailey, TIFF's co-director, told more than 1,000 viewers at a fully-packed Elgin Theater in downtown Toronto.

Inspired by the novel of the same name by Chinese Canadian author Zhang Ling, Aftershock explores the resilience of a family devastated by the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that claimed more than 240,000 lives.

The movie depicts a family reunion after the mother has to make a heart-breaking choice during the earthquake. With her two twin children pinned under the same concrete slab, she can only save one of them. This tragic situation is central to the rest of the story.

Zhang wrote the Chinese language novel in 2006, motivated by memories of the Tangshan earthquake on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.

"The movie intends to comfort, to heal, and to urge people to bury their hatchets and move on with their lives," Zhang said, adding that the book has a dark motif, opening up the wounds long healed, and forcing people to re-examine the cruelty of life in the face of disaster.

Zhang's opinion was echoed by many viewers after they watched it. "It is a very 'warm' film sharing lots of feelings and emotions," commented Joanne, a movie fan from Norway. She said she had seen some Chinese movies, but none as strong and as touching as this one.

Joanne said that when she saw the mom having to make the painful decision to choose one of the twins, she burst into tears. From then on, she could not stop her tears.

Another viewer who did not wish to be identified shared the same sentiment. "It looks like an individual family's melodrama; however, it reflects the lasting human feelings like forgiveness, love and the value of family."

"I'm too emotional to be interviewed," Chris Bennet, a movie producer, admitting he cried a couple of times during the movie. "This movie is so powerful, very respectful and so good. I like it a lot everything from the cinematography to performance."

Bennet said this movie helped him understand China and Chinese people' s lives, and learn the history of the devastating 1976 earthquake. Aftershock sweeps across three crucial decades in recent Chinese history.

Aftershock, the first non-English IMAX movie, has already set the box office's record in China by collecting over 660 million yuan (about $100 million) to date, since it was first public screened in China on July 22. It became the highest-grossing Chinese blockbuster of all time.

Many observers of director Feng--even his aggressive competitors in China--concede the movie's success is owing to his talents as a director. Feng has been well-known for his humorous comedies in China for decades.

The 2010 TIFF runs until September 19, screening 300 films in total. Chinese language films represent almost two-thirds of TIFF's overall selection of East Asian and South East Asian films--12 films out of a total of 21.

(Xinhua News Agency September 19, 2010)