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RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILESDirector: Zhang Yimou
"Zhang Yimou returns to the touching emotionalism of his earlier, smaller-scale dramas. The final reel packs a powerful emotional punch that will leave many viewers misty-eyed. Zhang's direction is a master class in understatement and the script unfurls with clockwork precision." Russell Edwards , Variety
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In a departure from such massive historical-fantasy epics as HERO and THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, filmmaker Zhang Yimou, one of China's most revered and acclaimed filmmakers, returns to the more intimate scale of his earlier work with the touching, funny and poignant RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES. Gou-ichi Takata
(Ken Takakura), a fisherman from a Japanese seaside
village, is called by his daughter-in-law, Rie, to
the bedside of his son Kenichi, who is dying of liver
cancer. Gou-ichi and Kenichi have not spoken for
ten years and, despite the gravity of the moment,
this visit is no exception; from his sickbed, Kenichi
refuses his father entry. In a last ditch effort
to broker a connection between them, Rie clandestinely
passes Gou-ichi a videotape. Kenichi has devoted
his life's work to musical ethnography, and the tape
contains his unsuccessful attempt to capture the
finest singer in the Yunnan region of China performing
a traditional song of friendship entitled "Riding Alone
for Thousands of Miles." In the video, the singer (Beijing
Master filmmaker Zhang Yimou weaves seemingly disparate characters and locales into a profoundly engrossing and touching film. RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES is distinguished by Takakura's elegant, bravura performance and Yimou's signature stunning visuals, meditative pace and eloquent approach to narrative. "...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." James Mudge , BeyondHollywood.com
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Opera performer Li Jiamin, playing himself) asks Kenichi
to return and record his performance another time.
Gou-ichi, moved by this insight into his son's work - and
by the fact that Kenichi will not be able to complete
it - takes it upon himself to travel to
the village and record the performance. With no command
of Mandarin, and even less of Chinese music or geography,
Gou-ichi embarks on a Herculean journey through China
to find and record the singer.