Together
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Movie Reviews of Together
Movie Review: A lesson on feelings
Summary: 4 Stars
TOGETHER is a coming of age story that emotionally mature members of the U.S. audience should find exotically different from the standard fare of the genre. First of all, the locale is mainland China. Secondly, our hero, a teenage male, isn't seduced by an older woman into his first sexual encounter. This is obviously not a Hollywood-made picture.Liu Xiaochun (Tang Yun) is a 13 year-old, phenomenally talented, classical violinist, who lives in a provincial Chinese town with his father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peiqi), a single-parent. The boy wins the opportunity to vie in a major competition in Beijing, so the two set off to the Big City with all of Dad's savings stuffed in his cap.
In Beijing, Xiaochun places 5th. (As it turns out, he would have likely won if not for the bribes paid on behalf of the top 4.) In any case, he's denied entrance into the Conservatory because he and his father have no official permits to live in the city. So, after finding the rough lodgings suited to technically illegal residents, they set about hiring a private tutor to hone Xiaochun's skills.
While Tang Yun plays the lead, he is, for much of the film, inscrutable. It's not clear if Tang Yun does his own violin work. If so, then he should perhaps give up acting and go on tour as a classical violinist because that's his greatest talent. My favorite performance was that of Liu Peiqi, who is stellar as the embodiment of country bumpkin in demeanor, mannerisms and dress in the environment of the relatively sophisticated capital.
For the viewer, TOGETHER is a wealth of engaging plots and subplots. The main thread of the storyline, that of finding a tutor for Xiaochun, is neatly split into two as first one, Prof. Jiang (Wang Zhiwen) is discovered, and then a second, Prof. Yu Shifeng (Chen Kaige - also the film's director). The boy's time with the latter incorporates a minor aside involving Lin Yu (Zhang Qing), a girl student competing with Xiaochun for Shifeng's favor. Overlaying all this, and providing a comedic element, is Xiaochun's platonic infatuation with Lili (Chen Hong - also the film director's wife), who lives in a comfortable apartment nearby to the hovel shared by Liu Cheng and his son. Lili is apparently a working girl whose companionship is available for hire by well-off males, although the presumed sexual nature of this arrangement is never explicitly made clear.
My only complaint regarding TOGETHER is that delivery of the story's message, i.e. that feelings are more important than technique when it comes to playing a musical instrument, is prolonged. The film would have benefited greatly from judicious editing, which, in my opinion, should have deleted the Prof. Jiang character entirely, reduced the involvement of Lili, and expanded the interaction between Xiaochun, Shifeng, and Lin Yu. I say this even though the director's occasionally mesmerizing use of light is best exemplified during the scene when Jiang finally comes out of the funk brought on by a long ago lost love.
TOGETHER is an elegantly artistic film to watch and savor.
Movie Review: A Touching Journey Made by Father and Son
Summary: 4 Stars
Together is a touching movie about a father, Liu Cheng, and his adopted thirteen-year-old son, Xiaochun, a violin protégé, who go to the big city, Beijing, to seek fame and fortune from rural China. The father hopes that his son would find a teacher who would nurture Xiaochun's talent. While in Bejing Xiaochun becomes infatuated by his beautiful neighbor, Lili, a gold digger. At the same time, Liu Cheng learns that even though Xiaochun is promising, it is not enough. Xiaochun must have a teacher with the right connections. However, what the father wants is not what the son wants.
In Together, Chen Kaige, director also Farewell My Concubine, has again captured the spirit of the times, eloquently depicted his story, raised pertinent social issues, and has given hope to the Chinese people that they will overcome yet another challenge.
The story takes place against China's current economic boom that has caused much social upheaval in the country. Today, China with a population of 1.3 billion must deal with 140 million migrants from the countryside arriving in cities seeking jobs and opportunities to support themselves and the families they left behind. The issues that the new migrants must deal with are their own basic survival: a roof over their head and the next meal. The migrants must also confront the alienation they endure for chasing after their dreams. Chen Kaige has carefully pointed out that in the pursuit of the mighty Yuan and fame, the hearts of some city dwellers have turned into stone; they have forgotten a sense of community and humanity.
Chen Kaige portrays Xiaochun having to deal with his own passionate nature and the mysteries of his hormones. In doing this, Xiaochun learns what gives his life meaning and what makes him a virtuoso on the violin. It is his love for Liu Cheng and later his infatuation with Lili that moves him to play beautiful music. And it is the same passion that makes him willingly stop playing the violin. Xiaochun pawns his violin to buy a coat for Lili. And Xiaochun even refuses to play for his new mentor.
Although the theme of the movie is contemporary, Chen Kaige is indebted to the symbolic convention of the past. Instead of the zither, the violin becomes the voice by which the protagonist, Xiaochun, reveals his love for his mother who had abandoned him as a baby, Liu Cheng, and Lili, his first love. Through the imagination of Western masters and his own talent, Xiaochun's heart and soul touch the heartstrings of all those who hear him play.
Chen Kaige has successfully told the story of Twenty-first century China in transition and shared it with his audience in a most lyrical way.
By Catherine Li, author of "The Flight of the Wild Cranes"
Movie Review: A Touching Journey Made by Father and Son
Summary: 4 Stars
Together is a touching movie about a father, Liu Cheng, and his adopted thirteen-year-old son, Xiaochun, a violin protégé, who go to the big city, Beijing, to seek fame and fortune from rural China. The father hopes that his son would find a teacher who would nurture Xiaochun's talent. While in Bejing Xiaochun becomes infatuated by his beautiful neighbor, Lili, a gold digger. At the same time, Liu Cheng learns that even though Xiaochun is promising, it is not enough. Xiaochun must have a teacher with the right connections. However, what the father wants is not what the son wants.
In Together, Chen Kaige, director also of Farewell My Concubine, has again captured the spirit of the times, eloquently depicted his story, raised pertinent social issues, and has given hope to the Chinese people that they will overcome yet another challenge.
The story takes place against China's current economic boom that has caused much social upheaval in the country. Today, China with a population of 1.3 billion must deal with 140 million migrants from the countryside arriving in cities seeking jobs and opportunities to support themselves and the families they left behind. The issues that the new migrants must deal with are their own basic survival: a roof over their head and the next meal. The migrants must also confront the alienation they endure for chasing after their dreams. Chen Kaige has carefully pointed out that in the pursuit of the mighty Yuan and fame, the hearts of some city dwellers have turned into stone; they have forgotten a sense of community and humanity.
Chen Kaige portrays Xiaochun having to deal with his own passionate nature and the mysteries of his hormones. In doing this, Xiaochun learns what gives his life meaning and what makes him a virtuoso on the violin. It is his love for Liu Cheng and later his infatuation with Lili that moves him to play beautiful music. And it is the same passion that makes him willingly stop playing the violin. Xiaochun even pawns his violin to buy a coat for Lili.
Although the theme of the movie is contemporary, Chen Kaige is indebted to the symbolic convention of the past. Instead of the zither, the violin becomes the voice by which the protagonist, Xiaochun, reveals his love for his mother who had abandoned him as a baby, Liu Cheng, and Lili, his first love. Through the imagination of Western masters and his own talent, Xiaochun's heart and soul touch the heartstrings of all those who hear him play.
Chen Kaige has successfully told the story of Twenty-first century China in transition and shared them with his audience in a most lyrical way.
Movie Review: Kaige sails to new horizons
Summary: 4 Stars
Chen Kaige's latest film together is his most accesible work for the western audiences. It is a far cry from movies like farewell my concubine and life on a string but nevertheless a good director is a good director and kaige is ready to prove himself to the wider audiences with this excellent movie.Liu cheng is a poor uneducated but a big hearted northerner cook who lives in the southern part of China. His life means one thing: to give his son a better life. Liu xiaochun, his son is a natural talent for playing violin. They both head for Beijing in order to attend a competition. Liu does well but fails to be qualified as no 1 due to jury games. But his father is conditioned to give him what he deserves manages to convince Prof Jiang, a talented but gave up on life character. Due to Jiang's easy going attitude, Liu chneg finds another Prof and brings his son to him. Liu xiaochun starts to make progress to have a great career in future but there are many ghosts in the past to be awaken suddenly and other issues which turn xiaochun's world upside down.
As I mentioned earlier, movie is accessible and targets western audiences directly. Here is a very very touching father-son drama with many bitter sweet moments and strange characters. cat lover Prof Jiang, spoiled but good hearted call girl mimi and liu cheng with his unnervingly funny neverending shame of being a poor villager .Kaige portrays the emergence of new china with shopping malls, peoples struggles to adapt the new lifestyles which are mostly western oriented and confusion over the transformation from old school socialism to market economy.
Movie raises an eyebrow on issues like success and career and the price that has to be paid on them. Also family ties, people's dependence on each other and family ties that can never be broken are all here, making the young talents story richer and down to earth as it can be.
Together is a very good introduction of Kaige to wider audiences.
Movie is very touching but as well as funny and interesting. So sensitive viewers are advised to be prepared before watching.
Only problem with this movie is for the appreciators of his early work and serious cinema critics, no matter how successful this movie is, it will always stay under the shadow of Kaige's earlier work like farewell my concubine and will raise an undeniable feeling of dissapointment among these people, fans of his early works of art cinema. Also do not be so surprised If Kaige starts to shoot movies in Hollywood like Ang Lee.
Movie Review: Simple But Nice
Summary: 4 Stars
If readers were to look for a simple Chinese movies that would pull your heart strings such as Not One Less, The Road Home, this movie would suit you nicely. Despite that Together is not as sumptuous as Farewell My Concubine and not as grand as the Emperor and the Assasin, it is nevertheless a moving story about a father and son. Well, the story is predictable enough but personally, it's the honesty and concentration of the Director towards the main essentials in Together that made it such an enjoyable watch. The peasant father took the son to Beijing, the big city to find a good violin teacher, who hopefully would lead his son to fame and fortune. Along their way, their lives cross path with a talented and honest but undisciplined teacher, a gold digger woman who never cares for anyone or anything in her life. Those people's lives are about to change subsequently as their lives are directly and indirectly moved by the father and son's sincerities. Towards the second half of the movie, the nice teacher reaffirms the father's decision to change for yet another teacher who has connections to ensure that the son's career path would be a successful one. In the end, albeit fame and fortune, the movie questions us if that's what we seek for in life or for love and happiness. Be prepared for a twist in the movie. A movie about friendship, sacrifice, and love. Together also allows us to catch a glimpse of the modernising China, about who you know and what you know that get you places, and about the social structures in China. The DVD also has a additional features such as 2 or 5 Dolby stereo sounds, filmographies, interview with the Director. Highly commendable.