Message from mchu

[Anonymous]

This film is about a man (living in the city) going back to the countryside because his school teacher father had passed away. He tells the romance story of his mother and father. His mother played by Zhang Ziyi (from Crouching Tiger) was the "typical" chinese dedicated woman/wife. She was taken with the school teacher when he first came to her village to teach. I thought it was really sweet that Zhang Ziyi's character did things to be close to him. She cooked everyday using the same bowl (hoping he would notice and use her bowl), went to the water well near his school and watched him whenever he walked the children home. She "sacrificed" by waiting for him by the road for him to come back to her village. Basically she was sick waiting for him in the snowy winter days...but she continues to wait for him anyway. In a way, the film shows what a typical chinese woman should do for her man...should be dedicated, self-sacrificing, devoted to one man, can cook...etc... It shows what a great woman should do to become a good wife. Throughout the film, she showed her perspective and her "sacrifices" but it doesn't show the guy doing anything to initate the romance or giving up anything for her. This film shows what a man's role is (dedication to his country--in this case his school) and the woman's role (dedication to her man/family). I did like the film though. It has a sad ending but touching at the same time. The woman was determined to have her husband's body carried home (a tradition in their village). The ending reflects what the father had done for his community. His students showed their appreciation by traveling from numerous different places to carry his body on the long road home.