Wo de fu qin mu qin (1999)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Shi Bao (novel)
Shi Bao (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 July 2000 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.

Plot Keywords:

Teacher | Funeral | Death Of Loved One | Told In Flashback | Secret Love

Awards:

12 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Ziyi Zhang	...	Zhao Di, Young (as Zhang Ziyi)
Honglei Sun	...	Luo Yusheng (as Sun Honglei)
Hao Zheng	...	Luo Changyu (as Zheng Hao)
Yulian Zhao	...	Zhao Di, Old (as Zhao Yulian)
Bin Li	...	Grandmother
Guifa Chang	...	Mayor, Old
Wencheng Sung	...	Mayor
Qi Liu	...	Carpenter Xia, Old
Bo Ji	...	Carpenter Xia
Zhongxi Zhang	...	Crockery Repairman

Also Known As:

The Road Home (International: English title) (USA) (DVD title)
My Father and Mother (literal English title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Denmark:A | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:I | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G

Company:

Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia

Trivia:

Filmmaker Yimou Zhang has said that this film was his tribute to and heavily influenced by the work of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

Quotes:

Zhao Di, Young: I'll be waiting for you.

Movie Connections:

References Titanic (1997)

Very Slow, But Very Beautiful, Touching

For fans of faster-paced movies, be forewarned: this is extremely slow. For others who love a beautifully-filmed movie or a touching romance story, this Chinese film will do nicely.

Zhang Ziyi, who has now become an International star thanks to Crouching Tiger, Hero, House Of Flying Daggers and Memoirs Of A Geisha, never looked prettier and more appealing than here. Maybe that's because she plays such a sweet, innocent, non-violent (no martial arts here) character: a woman smitten with a new teacher in town and one who will go any lengths (in a totally pure sense) to be noticed and attract this man, mainly in the form of incredible patience.

This is one of the prettiest movies I've seen on DVD. It helps to be a fan of Ziyi and appreciate her beauty, because there are many shots of her face as she just stares looking for her man. This character gives new meanings to the words faithful, steadfast and devotion.

The film is actually two stories: the here-and-now about an old man and woman, and a long flashback telling the love story of how they met. In the first segment, the man had just died and the woman is grieving and making funeral arrangements. They involve walking with the casket a long way home, hence the title. The middle part of the film, the romance, features Ziyi. That middle segment - the courtship - is in brilliant, almost stunning-looking color. The beginning and end of the film are both in black-and-white. The cinematography for both parts is magnificent.