Friday, January 23, 2004
Together
Directed by Chen Kaige
Together has an emotionally sweeping orchestral soundtrack that would move the average audience to tears.
Single father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peiqi) and his teenage son who’s a prodigy violin player, Liu Xiaochun (Tang Yun) moved to Beijing after the fromer decided that his son could become successful. He pleaded with Professor Jiang (Wang Zhiwen) initially to give his son lessons but changed his mind when he knew famed Professor Yu Shifeng (Chen Kaige) would stand a higher chance of grooming the boy.
On the other hand, Xiaochun was enamoured with Lili (Chen Hong) who is a “golddigger” – a women who befriends rich guys for their money. Lili initially treats the adolescent as a runner whom she could call at will to amuse her with his playing. She stopped when she realised he was sincerely kind towards her.
Together unfolds enough drama with a dash of slight humor. It is hard to resist the country bumpkin’s Peiqi’s foolishness as he lost his orange cap supposedly containing all his money while doing marketing. The bantering between Professor Jiang and Xiaochun is cheeky and touching. When Xiaochun starts his first lesson with the professor, the teacher doesn’t seemed to be concentrating and made the boy do ridiculuous acts for him. When Xaiochun earned Jiang’s trust, he cleaned up the teacher’s place, caged up the strays and demanded the latter changed his clothes.
Thematically, Together explores basic father –son relationships and highlights the constrast between artistic achievement and fame. Lili as a “call girl” was fetishized with her first appearance as a pair of legs. She changed when she met Xiaochun who convinced her that there is more to life than being materialistic. It runs concurrently with the idea of how consummate art is not necessarily tied to being famous as iconised by Jiang, the recluse musician.
It is hard to determine what Xiaochun thinks of Lili. On the other hand, one could read it as the burgeoning of adolescence sexuality and hence, admiration for the elder, much wiser woman. Yet, Xiaochun could be simply projecting a desire for motherly love on the pretty sassy woman. On another level, Lili, as the only sexual female character represents the “unpure” that needs the innocence of Xiaochun to “revirginize” her.
There are no “evil” characters in Together which we will grow with strong distate for; merely people who act in their self- interest. Professor Yu who is initially seen as “cynical” is later portrayed as a hard teacher who merely wants to see “great art” from his students; and hence seen as demanding.
Together is a light and moving picture which one shouldn’t have much problem relating to.
Directed by Chen Kaige
Together has an emotionally sweeping orchestral soundtrack that would move the average audience to tears.
Single father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peiqi) and his teenage son who’s a prodigy violin player, Liu Xiaochun (Tang Yun) moved to Beijing after the fromer decided that his son could become successful. He pleaded with Professor Jiang (Wang Zhiwen) initially to give his son lessons but changed his mind when he knew famed Professor Yu Shifeng (Chen Kaige) would stand a higher chance of grooming the boy.
On the other hand, Xiaochun was enamoured with Lili (Chen Hong) who is a “golddigger” – a women who befriends rich guys for their money. Lili initially treats the adolescent as a runner whom she could call at will to amuse her with his playing. She stopped when she realised he was sincerely kind towards her.
Together unfolds enough drama with a dash of slight humor. It is hard to resist the country bumpkin’s Peiqi’s foolishness as he lost his orange cap supposedly containing all his money while doing marketing. The bantering between Professor Jiang and Xiaochun is cheeky and touching. When Xiaochun starts his first lesson with the professor, the teacher doesn’t seemed to be concentrating and made the boy do ridiculuous acts for him. When Xaiochun earned Jiang’s trust, he cleaned up the teacher’s place, caged up the strays and demanded the latter changed his clothes.
Thematically, Together explores basic father –son relationships and highlights the constrast between artistic achievement and fame. Lili as a “call girl” was fetishized with her first appearance as a pair of legs. She changed when she met Xiaochun who convinced her that there is more to life than being materialistic. It runs concurrently with the idea of how consummate art is not necessarily tied to being famous as iconised by Jiang, the recluse musician.
It is hard to determine what Xiaochun thinks of Lili. On the other hand, one could read it as the burgeoning of adolescence sexuality and hence, admiration for the elder, much wiser woman. Yet, Xiaochun could be simply projecting a desire for motherly love on the pretty sassy woman. On another level, Lili, as the only sexual female character represents the “unpure” that needs the innocence of Xiaochun to “revirginize” her.
There are no “evil” characters in Together which we will grow with strong distate for; merely people who act in their self- interest. Professor Yu who is initially seen as “cynical” is later portrayed as a hard teacher who merely wants to see “great art” from his students; and hence seen as demanding.
Together is a light and moving picture which one shouldn’t have much problem relating to.
