The Road Home

I have always been a big fan of Zhang Zimou, the director of this film. I have seen several of his films..To Live, Raise the Red Lantern and most recently Hero. The Road Home is a sensitive and beautiful film centering on the story of the courtship between between a young country girl and a teacher..The story is simple yet poignant and the actors are wonderful! The scenery is breathtaking and Zhang tells the story in a hushed tone and lets it unwind to it's emotionally wrenching conclusion..I highly recommend this movie for the culture, the story and the wonderfully understated acting..such a refreshing change of pace from the "in your face" mainstream films of today...

Get out the hankies! This film earns your emotions--if you are willing to watch a very simple story about unquestioning devotion, about respecting your elders, about simple values in spite of politics; the main story about a simple peasant girls initial infatuation with the new town schoolteacher is bookended by an after-tale of the present, an emotional gathering earned by the strength of an old woman's wishes and her son's willingness to meet her old-fashioned demands; what a shame that our nation prefers stylish junk (probably the top money earner this week at your local multiplex) which cleverly endorses brute violence as a solution to almost anything instead of modeling human behavior at its best

For fans of faster-paced movies, be forewarned: this is extremely slow. For others who love a beautifully-filmed movie or a touching romance story, this Chinese film will do nicely.

Zhang Ziyi, who has now become an International star thanks to Crouching Tiger, Hero, House Of Flying Daggers and Memoirs Of A Geisha, never looked prettier and more appealing than here. Maybe that's because she plays such a sweet, innocent, non-violent (no martial arts here) character: a woman smitten with a new teacher in town and one who will go any lengths (in a totally pure sense) to be noticed and attract this man, mainly in the form of incredible patience.

This is one of the prettiest movies I've seen on DVD. It helps to be a fan of Ziyi and appreciate her beauty, because there are many shots of her face as she just stares looking for her man. This character gives new meanings to the words faithful, steadfast and devotion.

The film is actually two stories: the here-and-now about an old man and woman, and a long flashback telling the love story of how they met. In the first segment, the man had just died and the woman is grieving and making funeral arrangements. They involve walking with the casket a long way home, hence the title. The middle part of the film, the romance, features Ziyi. That middle segment - the courtship - is in brilliant, almost stunning-looking color. The beginning and end of the film are both in black-and-white. The cinematography for both parts is magnificent.

A peaceful jerking of tears; a humane and tender film that captures the slow process pending a loved ones funeral arrangements.

Returning home after his fathers death, Luo Changyu reflects on the deep belonging his parents shared. As he traces the past, his mother's disciplined desire towards his father plays out like therapy for the heart.

Zhang Ziyi; the actress more commonly known for her Martial arts adventures shines as the obituarist and adorable love interest of the shy Luo Changyu in this meaningful love story.

Zhang Yimou (the director) is a rare individual, its hard to believe the same mind brought us the amazing 'House of Flying Daggers'.

Beautiful cinema!

This movie had the wonderful ability to remind me what it was like to be an 18-year-old in love. I did not live in China, but it was heart-rending experience, and one that brought me closer to who I am today.

I also appreciated the opportunity to remember the death of my father, when I was 24, and the stories I know of his life and how he and my mother met, and the impact he had on the lives of the people who knew him.

This movie also taught me more about China's varied geography--I had no idea there were birch trees and prairie farms there, as in the Kansas of my childhood.

I highly recommend this film, it helps me remember that we are connected to those whom we have never met, because we all can feel love and remember the best parts of life.