With more and more young people moving to the city for jobs, there’s a certain beauty in the countryside that is being missed out. The Road Home is a simple and straightforward love story, one that is mostly composed of Zhang Ziyi as a country girl stealing glances at the handsome city boy who’s come to teach in the village, but there’s a certain magic in the way director Zhang Yimou depicts the rural traditions of the village, the charming and distinct rhythms of life that continues to this day. While the film glosses over the reasons for Luo’s temporary departure, which some reviewers speculate is due to China’s then Anti-Rightist campaign, The Road Home beautifully depicts the way love can bloom despite these troubles, and how this love can shift the lives of an entire town.
Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.
Businessman Luo Yusheng returns home to his mother Zhao Di for the funeral of his father, the village teacher, prompting him to recall his parents’ great love story, which has become somewhat of a legend within the town.
Due to the technology, usually black and white filming was reserved for the past, with colored film for the present. However, this film has it in the opposite direction– with the love story in the past depicted in color, while the present is in black and white. It’s almost as if the colors are mourning along with Zhao Di.
I can’t believe this was Zhang Ziyi’s first feature film debut, with the way she carries this film entirely.
Berlin
2 wins
Sundance
1 win
