The Road Home ( Wo de fu qin mu qin, 1999)

Zhang Yimou

China

95 min, color, Mandarin (English subtitles)

If there was one thing that detracted from a complete absorption in this film, it was the sultry, non-air-conditioned, theater in downtown Salt Lake where I happened to see this remarkable film. Zhang Yimou is one of the few Chinese directors that are better known this side of the Pacific. His most famous works have been done in association with the talented Gong Li, but this film is an exception in that it features the then unknown, but now internationally famous thanks to the superhit CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and no less talented Zhang Ziyi.

Everything about this film is the essence of simplicity and minimalism. In fact, the directorial work is so unobtrusive, so effortless, that one may thing it was an easy picture to film. This sort of fluency comes only to gifted and experienced directors and no one less than Zhang Yimou could have done it.

The beautiful rural setting is the place of a beautiful and very touching romance that begins in 1958. Upon hearing about the death of his father, the old school teacher of his home village Luo Changyu (Zheng Hao), the city-dwelling son Luo Yusheng (Sun Honglei) returns to be at his mother's side for the funeral. He is then confronted by her demand that Changyu's body be carried on foot to the place of burial, according to ancient custom. This would not have been a problem but Changyu has died in a remote place on the other side of a mountain and carrying the coffin through the snow requires the work of men that the village is unable to supply. At first Yusheng tries to convince his mother, Zhao Di (Zhao Yuelin), to be rational about it, but the old lady is adamant, bordering on the unreasonable. She even has him bring an old loom so that she can weave the cloth for the body.

Watching his aging mother struggle with the cracking loom, Yusheng recalls the story of his parents' courtship. The film transitions from the black-and-white of present to the glorious color of past and follows the romance of Changyu and Di (Zhang Ziyi). The first very effective device the director employs is a break with the canon of cinematic narrative, which usually depicts the past in B&W. Zhang Yimou's approach, however, suggests that the past, filmed in vibrant lush colors, is really the life of the story, with the dreary present only its consequence, a product which could not have existed without the history preceding it.

The love story is gentle, slow, and truthful, which cannot be said of contemporary equivalents. Almost incredibly, the two protagonists never even touch, let alone hug or kiss, yet the depth of their feeling is evident, thanks to the combination of excellent writing by Bao Shi, delicate directing by Zhang Yimou, and superb acting by Zhang Ziyi. The love story centers entirely on Di, whose instant attraction to the young teacher quickly develops into bashful love. Despite the strength of her feelings, which makes her do endearing things, she is unable to muster the courage to even talk to Changyu for the better part of the film, and even when he comes to her house for lunch, she spends most of her time in the kitchen, stealing surreptitious glances at the guest. Zhang Ziyi's body language is almost as expressive as her face, and it is fully utilized in the film, particularly in the scene where she giddily walks away after finally managing to say "Hi" to Changyu after working herself up to it for what seems like weeks.

The road of the title is prominently featured in the film, both during the development of the love story, and as the place where Di waited for Changyu when political troubles resulted in his recall to the city for years. This road must be travelled one last time by Changyu, for it is through it that he and Di had been bound together. With this realization, Yusheng resolves to meet his mother's wishes, and pays a fortune to hire coffin-bearers. In a very touching moment next day, he discovers that many of his father's former pupils have come to honor their teacher, and thus there are more than enough people to carry the coffin. The long procession through the snow brought tears to my eyes and made me wonder whether I could ever touch my students in such a way.

Films done so masterfully are treats for the audience and one should not miss THE ROAD HOME. Some might find it sentimental, but it is light years away from the mawkish tone of homegrown equivalents. I also hope that the director makes more films with Zhang Ziyi, who seems destined to succeed Gong Li as the muse of the Chinese silver screen.

August 10, 2001.