1976年，唐山，卡車司機方大強和妻子李元妮、龍鳳胎兒女方登、
唐山大地震方達過著平凡幸福的生活。7月的壹個傍晚，唐山發生了大地震。為救孩子，方大強死了，方登和方達被同壹塊樓板壓在兩邊，無論人們想救哪壹個，都要放棄另壹個。元妮選擇了從小體弱多病的弟弟方達，而頭腦清醒的方登聽到了母親作出的抉擇。
震後，元妮獨自撫養兒子，堅強地活了下來，劫後余生的方登被軍人王德清夫婦領養，進入了全新的世界。母女、姐弟從此天各壹方……
電影《唐山大地震》講述了壹個“23秒、32年”的故事。1976年7月28日淩晨，壹場7.8級大地震將唐山在23秒之內變成壹片廢墟。壹個年輕的母親在面對兩個孩子只能救壹個的絕境下無奈選擇了犧牲姐姐而救弟弟，這個決定改變了整個家庭的命運，讓幸存者陷入壹個震後32年的情感困境。導演馮小剛說，這部電影的情感力量可以真正傳到觀眾的心靈深處，讓人反思在災難面前人與人之間的情感碰撞和生死考驗，是對人“心靈的拷問”。當看到預告片中小女孩從雨中廢墟中醒來，周圍壹片傷亡景象，哭著被人抱走的鏡頭時，“母親”徐帆不禁流下了眼淚：“任何壹個母親做出這樣的選擇都會崩潰，這種情感像噴泉壹樣從我的身體裏爆發出來，很久都難以釋懷。”“女兒”張靜初在看完預告片後也激動地流下淚水，她表示《唐山大地震》感人至深，是反映中國人情感的動人影片。 英文版The tangshan earthquake "tells the story of a" 23 seconds, 32 years "the story.In 1976, tangshan, truck drivers FangDaJiang wife and her fetus LiYuanNi, dragon,The tangshan earthquake with ordinary happiness of life. One evening in July, tangshan earthquake happened. To save the child, FangDaJiang died, and was the same block the pressure on both sides, regardless of slab people want to save, must give up another. Yuan's ailing brother chose since childhood, but the head of the mother put to hear.After raising son alone, ni, strongly survived, left side by WangDeQing soldiers put into the new couple adopted, and the world. Mother asked, from the lives of...The tangshan earthquake film about a "23 seconds, 32 years" the story. On July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake will TangShanZai 23 seconds to become ruins. In the face of a young mother of two children can save a helpless under cornered choose sacrifice sister and brother, save this changed the whole family, let the fate of earthquake survivors in a dilemma of emotional 32 years. Director feng xiaogang's emotion, said the film strength can truly to audience, let a person think soul in the face of disaster between emotional collision and death trial, is to "soul". The torture When he saw the girl from the trailer and woke up, the ruins of the rain, around a casualties were crying out of the lens, "mother" perfect outfit.but couldn't help shedding tears: "any a mother will collapse, the choice that such feelings like a fountain from my body out, a long time hard." "The daughter" zhang jingchu watching trailer shed tears after excitedly, she says the tangshan earthquake is a reflection of the Chinese people, of the moving film emotion.