Message from eamador

[Anonymous]

I just watched "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles” directed by Zhang Yimou. He directed “Raise the Red Lantern” which I have not seen but hear about often. Riding Alone takes place in Japan (urban and northern rural coastline) and in Yunnan Province in China with some scenes of urban China. The psychological growth of a Japanese traveler as he tries to complete his estranged dying son’s documentary about Chinese Folk Drama is reminiscent of Ingmar Bergman films. The technical filming is cast in a blue solar lens making the colors very rich. There is a moving subplot about an orphaned boy being cared for by committee in the village. This is a rich tapestry of ideas, gestalt, color, and art and parent-child relations. It is PG and I highly recommend this film.

I like the idea of being able to show different topographies and scenes in east Asia. The story may move a little slow for my middle school students but I will try it since it shows modern Japan and China and also has some universal father and son themes. I would expect a lot of questions and since I am TRYING to get my students to write down questions as they think of them to teach them inquiry skills and hypothesis in history this might work as a good vehicle. There's one scene outdoors where the boy defecates and it might be a little too much information but it's brief.