TOGETHER Rating: (out of 5 stars) Director: Chen Kaige Producers: Ton Gang, Chen Hong Writers: Chen Kaige, Xue Xiaolu Director of Photography: Kim Hyungkoo Cast: Tang Yun, Liu Peiqui, Chen Hong, Wang Zhiwen, Chen Kaige Visit the IMDB page for full cast and crew

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Review by: Warren Curry
5/26/03

Together, the new film from acclaimed Chinese director Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine), is a heart-tugging, crowd-pleaser of a movie, complete with a moving, feel-good ending that seems specifically constructed to elicit impassioned audience applause upon its conclusion. However, the film doesn't handle its emotional content in a completely obvious, connect-the-dots manner (which may limit its appeal in this country), and while the net result of this effect stems the often rising tide of Together's saccharine level, it also gives the movie a slightly incomplete quality. The characters' relationships are treated vaguely, and a few of the supporting characters are strangely underwritten. But by utilizing a graceful, fluid visual style, and usually finding the appropriate shadings in tone, Kaige is able to generously compensate for the film's relatively minor flaws.

13-year-old Xiaochun (Tang Yun) lives with his well-meaning, if somewhat simple-minded father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peiqi), in a rural area of China. Xiachun is a gifted violinist, and wanting the best training for his son to help him maximize his talent, Liu Cheng relocates the two to Beijing. The transition to life in the big city presents challenges, but without much delay Xiachun finds himself a student of the somewhat reclusive, cat-loving Professor Jiang (Wang Zhiwen). When not practicing violin, Xiaochun spends time with a buoyant female neighbor named Lili (Chen Hong), who assumes the role of a surrogate big sister -- the female figure Xiaochun never had in his life, because of his mother's abandonment of the family while he was still an infant. When Liu Cheng arrives at the conclusion that Professor Jiang is incapable of making his son a success, the father seeks out the help of the powerful and highly-regarded Professor Yu (played by Kaige), and is only able to persuade the man into taking on Xiaochun as a pupil after divulging a family secret.

Professor Yu is clearly a person unlike any other that Liu Cheng has ever met -- a man whose bottom line approach to success is fierce and intimidating. Yu becomes a dominant figure in Xiaochun's life, and increasingly Liu Cheng is pushed to the periphery until the professor blatantly informs him that his presence is no longer welcome if dreams of artistic stardom are to become a reality for Xiaochun.

Together addresses a very topical issue in contemporary urban China, with newfound economic growth leading to aspirations of individual financial prosperity -- an impossible concept to conceive during the country's Cultural Revolution. Liu Cheng's obsession with making his son a world-renowned musician at the expense of family ties and happiness not linked to "success," clearly speaks to a shifting cultural emphasis in the country. But Kaige doesn't use the characters as pawns to tell a cautionary tale of financial self-interests run amok. The film is steeped deeply in very human concerns and, when reduced to its very basics, can be viewed simply as a story about father-son bonding.

Ironically, in a film that clearly champions human benevolence, it's the inattention to character development that hinders this film from paying off in a more satisfying manner. Professor Jiang, perhaps the most colorful character in the film, is disappointingly abandoned after Liu Cheng dismisses him as his son's teacher. Lili comes across too much like a token female character, not totally shaped and feeling more insignificant than a character with her amount of screen time should. Even the interaction between Liu Cheng and Xiaochun could be strengthened, although it thankfully plays out with emotional restraint intact.

The film flows smoothly, and Kaige and editor Zhou Ying keep the proceedings moving ahead at a nice pace. The conclusive scene, even with its heart worn so brazenly on its sleeve, is a wonderful sucker-punch of an ending. It's truly one of those unforgettable moments that could only happen in the movies, and the film is all the better for the director unabashedly embracing the magical joy of it all.

(A United Artists release. Opens in New York and Los Angeles on May 30, 2003. Expands to more cities at later dates.)