Abstract:  Youth films have currently become one of the hottest commercial film types in China′s film market. In the past few years, youth films surge in great number. Despite their difference in contents and styles, they share great similarities in narrative strategies and outlook on value. On the one hand, they sing highly of moral force, and resort to the emotional consolation through "healing" narrative mechanism and expressive style to comfort the youth whose souls are saturated with setbacks, troubles and confusions. On the other hand, these films affirm the materialistic life style and attitudes by exquisite visual and aural language to create magnificent, luxuriant metropolitan life images, demonstrating unconstrained materialistic desires for consumption in modern society. This has in a great degree impaired the intended emotional themes and caused avulsion and opposition in conveying value outlook.

Key words:  youth film, narrative strategies, metropolitan life space, value outlook