To Live

There are some films that essentially speak to my soul, and this is one of them. There are many great directors who have never produced a movie that has impacted me like this. That's not a knock on the directors, it's purely personal preference, but it makes it even more impressive here as this is the second Zhang Yimou to affect me in this way, after 'Raise the Red Lantern'. The film depicts the massive political turmoil that China faced between the 1940s and 1970s, offering a glimpse into the life of a family and how they coped with said turmoil. I never expected two hours of the horrors of the Cultural Revolution depicted here, but I was really taken by how this family kept persevering even in spite of the many struggles. Early on, Fugui is a selfish gambler who gambles away everything he and his family owns including his family house. The irony of this (not to make myself sound super clever, but it did dawn on me) being that 'rural elites' were targeted by the CCP. Ultimately by losing everything, Fugui is able to save his life. The scene where Long'er is executed is horrifying both for Fugui who realises how close he was to death, but also for us in seeing the brutality of the regime even at its infancy. As mentioned prior, I loved how the film focused on the family and community. I know that restrictions would have prevented a direct critique, but this film manages to humanise these people, and show the good mixed in with the bad as they navigate great change. This review is really rambly, even a day later as I just adored this so much and was glued to the screen. Zhang Yimou is becoming one of my favourite filmmakers.