Okay. I really adore this movie, and I think I'm man enough to say that I actually cried while watching this, which is a rare occurrence for me. I saw this movie when it finally came out in the U.S. last year and I bought it as soon as it came out on DVD. Personally, I think this is one of the best foreign films every made, and a really good film on it's own.
The film is semi-biographical.
The Plot: Luo Changyu (Hao Zheng), a man living in the city, returns home to his childhood village in the mountains of present day China after his father's sudden death. He is the only child in his village that left to get a college education. Now he returns, using the road that his parents did many times before, to comfort his mother and help her bury her husband and his father.
His mother, Zhao Di (for the most part played by the beautiful Zhang Ziyi of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame) wants a traditional burial for her husband and refuses any other offers. While she makes a cover for her dead husband's casket with a traditional Chinese loom, Luo recounts his mother and father's courtship during 1950's China.
The story of their love is told, starting from when her future husband, Luo Yusheng, first comes to her village from the city to teach. She falls in love with him, but there might be some problems, since he is a higher class than she is. He also has some trouble with the Communist regime, because of his political views, which keeps them apart for a while. Nevertheless, their love stays strong for each other and and Di keeps a touching watch over the road home, waiting for her love to come back.
The Good: Everything. I can't think of one bad thing to say about this movie. It is pure perfection. Yimou Zhang is a brilliant director with numerous other movies to his credit. The cinematography is gorgeous, like the beautiful Chinese landscape that surrounds the movie. He tells the story in very simple terms, much like the lives of the peasants portrayed in the film. There is absolutely no sex, no violence, and no swearing. There is even no kissing. Yimou visually explains Di and Luo's love through the small things we take for granted like cooking a meal, giving a gift, and loving looks. These scenes are by far more satisfying than a loveless sex scene in a Hollywood movie. It altogether avoids all the stupid cliches of American romance movies.
It's not that Yimou is a conservative filmmaker (look to Shanghai Triad for some violent, sexy stuff....) it's just that he didn't want crapulence for this movie. Really, the sex and violence formula is way over-used. Sadly, like the Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa (The Seven Samurai....), he is overshadowed in the US in favor of European films. This seems to be a problem for Asian filmmakers in general for some reason. Well, except for Ang Lee, but that's a bit different.
My hat must go off to Zhang Ziyi though. Not just because she's my dream girl. She's a great actress. There are some scenes in the movie where there is no dialogue at all, but she conveys the deepest of emotions through her facial expressions. If you try to look for any traces of her character Jen from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon there'll be none of it here. She also doesn't have any trace of her pyromaniac character from Rush Hour 2. She plays a different person every time. Although it might seem a stretch that she could play a peasant, considering her graceful dancer's form, she pulls it off well. I guess that's what good acting is.
This movie goes straight for your emotions and the memory of your own experiences. It does an excellent job of recreating the feeling of falling in love. People are too hung up on how people are different because they're Chinese, Indian, or Middle-Eastern. In this movie, it shows that we're all human beings and that we all share the human experience.
The Bad: Nothing.
The Bottom Line: I would recommend everyone here to rent this movie if you can. Even with its relatively simple storyline, the movie hits you right in the emotional gut, and it stays with you for a long time. It's what love *should* be. No games, no abuses, just unconditional love. Of course, that might be because as a whole (since about 70-80% of the population still lives in villages or towns), the Chinese people have uncomplicated lives compared to the ones that we throw ourselves into. Sometimes I wish I could have the life-style they do.
Note: The only version of this movie is the original Mandarin language with English subtitles. Don't be a wuss and let that scare you away. I always prefer seeing foreign films (even anime) in the original language because the actors are always better than voice-over actors are. I wouldn't want to hear Zhang Ziyi's beautiful voice dubbed anyway.
So, if you're looking for a beautiful little movie that everyone, including kids (wink, wink CLL) can watch, I'd go and rent it sometime. It's best seen on DVD in widescreen, although I think the VHS version is in widescreen too.
And here I give my rare 5 out of 5 rating....
Rating: ***** out of *****
Discussions
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