CHINA
2019's outstanding The Farewell examines the age-old conflict between modern Chinese-Americans and the traditional way. Billi (actress Awkwafina) is a 30-year-old writer who is pretty well Americanized. She returns to China on the news that her beloved grandmother is dying of cancer. When she arrives she discovers that no one has told the old lady about her condition or her prognosis, and Billi must not tell either. Also, she must not look sad! Touching and funny, this is an outstanding film. The ending is a zapper!
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is available on DVD. And though its high-flying martial arts sequences might be a little better on the big screen, it is still a terrific rental. This marvelous film marks the complete coming of age of the Chinese cinema and perhaps has raised the bar on fight scenes to unreachable levels. Crouching Tiger features two great love stories, mystery, suspense, and the most incredible flying circus martial arts panorama of all time. It won an Oscar as Best Foreign Film and was even nominated as Best Movie.
But there’s a lot more to Chinese films than kung fu. Raise The Red Lantern (1991) is a timeless set piece on the place of women in society, though the story of the beautiful concubine is centuries old. The acting and the costumes are  first rate.
Ju Dou (1989) is one of several films in this column banned in China. In it, a young girl’s arranged marriage to a much older factory owner is the center of a story of intrigue, infidelity and the sometimes stultifying effects of tradition. 
Farewell, My Concubine (1993) uses Chinese traditional opera as its centerpiece and as a metaphor for the chaos wrought by the Cultural Revolution. Another non-favorite in China, it includes a forbidden love triangle, great scenery and acting, and a look at a facet of another culture completely unknown to most Americans. 
The Story Of Qiu Ju (1992) is a terrific movie with a story that travels well to almost anywhere. A simple village woman’s husband is beaten up by the powerful 
village chief. She will not rest until there is both an explanation and an apology.  Her struggles with the bureaucracy and her refusal to give up are both amusing and heartening. The undertow here is a sly look at how bureaucrats don’t really help  anyone but themselves, which is just as true in China as elsewhere.
All of the films in this article are available on DVD, including the first one, and all are adult fare.