Mei ren cao

"Fate is fate whether or not it binds you to another person. Likewise, Love is love whether or not it binds you to another person."

According to China.Org.Cn, "This heart-wrenching film, The Foliage, is to date, the most touching love story to hit the Chinese box office." While this movie is not bad, the above description is grossly exaggerated. The Foliage is a decent recount of life when young Chinese intellectuals were required to move to the countryside for re-education. Shu Qi aficionados and those who can identify with pre-commercialized Mainland China will probably discover the most fondness here.

This movie offers a thought-provoking take on fate. It reinforces the notion that we are all connected in a big web, and Anyone has the power to alter his/her life or someone else's life, whether intentional or not. To make this point unmistakable, the filmmaker concludes the film with the tip of an iceberg to an ALTERNATIVE fate of the story, caused by a slight difference in one character's action. Who can say what the outcome of the story will be in this alternative fate?

As a side note, the story takes place in south China's Yunnan province, and the entire cast seems to speak either the local dialect or the Beijing-accent Mandarin, except for our lead actress Shu Qi. Coming from Taiwan, her Mandarin has an unmistakable Taiwanese flavor, and the film does not try to disguise her accent or explain why it is out of place with the rest of the characters.