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 iding Alone for Thousands of
Miles" sees Zhang Yimou returning to the kind of
intimate drama with which he made his name as a
director. Eschewing the flashy visuals of "Hero"
and the cheap melodrama of "House
of Flying Daggers", "Miles" tells a simple,
yet emotional story about the complex
relationships between fathers and their sons. The
result is a film with far more depth than Zhang
Yimou's recent efforts, and one which is both
moving and genuine.
The plot follows Gou-ichi
(Ken Takakura, who Western viewers may recognise
from "Black Rain"), a fisherman who travels to
Tokyo to visit his son, hospitalised with liver
cancer, and with whom he has not spoken in many
years. Although his son refuses to see him,
Gou-ichi is shown a videotape of one of the son's
recent trips to the Yunnan province of China
researching folk opera, in which he attempted, but
failed to record a performance of the titular
opera by Li Jiamin (an actual opera performer,
playing himself).
Gou-ichi decides to travel to
Yunnan himself, thinking to heal the rift with his
son by succeeding where the son failed and
capturing the singer on camera. Unfortunately,
this turns out to be far more complicated than
expected, not least because he speaks no Chinese,
and is forced to rely upon Lingo, a friendly local
who speaks only basic Japanese, for translation.
To make matters worse, it transpires that Li is
now in jail, having stabbed a man who insulted him
for having an illegitimate son, and is too sad to
perform the opera. Gou-ichi refuses to give up,
and embarks on a long journey to Li's remote
village with the aim of bringing the performer's
unseen son, now eight years old to visit him in
prison.
With the stories of the two
fathers and their estranged sons, a parallel
becomes apparent between Li, who is openly
emotional, weeping at having not seen his son, and
Gou-ichi, a silent, stolid man who rarely admits
his feelings, even to himself. As the two
relationships converge, Gou-ichi meets Li's son
and begins to open up, giving the viewer a glimpse
into his heart and at the same time revealing more
about his own son, with whom he gradually finds
that he has more in common with than previously
thought.
Thankfully, Zhang steers well
clear of clichés, and "Riding Alone for Thousand
of Miles" is warm hearted in a wholly believable
way, alternating skilfully between drama and light
amusement. The film is frequently quite touching,
whether through the central story itself, or the
simple acts of kindness and friendship Gou-ichi
encounters on his travels. The characters are
convincing and interesting, especially Gou-ichi
himself (Zhang supposedly wrote the role
specifically for Takakura), making for an
affecting and compelling story which follows a
winding rather than predictable path to its moving
conclusion. The supporting cast and the villagers
themselves (mostly played by non-actors) are
similarly impressive, and give the film a real
boost.
Zhang directs the film with
an understated style, with a naturalistic approach
to the scenes of characters and dialogue which
lend them an air of realism. The beautiful scenery
is captured in an honest, yet breathtaking fashion
through a series of static long shots in which the
characters are often dwarfed by the surrounding
mountains. This gives an impression both of
isolation and intimacy, nicely complimenting both
the geographical and highly personal sides of
Gou-ichi's journey.
"Riding Alone for Thousands
of Miles" is an impressive film, though one which
is unlikely to appeal to fans of the director's
more recent martial arts popcorn efforts. Free
from glamour or pretension, it quietly but
effectively tells a very human story in a
convincing manner which communicates emotions
through whispers rather than the crass shouting
which the director has been prone to of late. |
