[See the IMDb page for this film for cast names. Except for the director, Chen Kaige, who also plays a major role, no other actor is really known outside of China.]
Reactions to Chen Kaige's "Together" are very mixed. The story of "Chun," a thirteen-year-old regional violin competition winner from the provinces who travels with his guiding, incessantly cajoling or demanding father to Beijing for advanced instruction and a shot at an international career, is original in the sense that it's set in China. But Chun's journey, actual and emotional, reflects the life of the child musical prodigy anywhere.
Chun's mother disappeared when he was two and he was brought up by his simple but devoted father. Correctly styled a "country bumpkin," this obsequious pursuer of any advantage for the boy - for which no sacrifice is too much - reminds me of American parents I've known who, correctly or not (usually the latter) believed their child was a genius who needed to be nurtured AND pushed, no matter the psychical cost or the premature loss of childhood.
Chun and his father have separate encounters and adventures in Beijing that meld as the story progresses. A young woman, Lily, who would be a perfect character in a Chinese "Sex and the City" series, befriends the kid. A sometimes humorous relationship develops: she styles herself as Chun's "big sister.".
The budding violinist's first teacher, Professor Jiang, shares his untidy apartment with an assortment of rescued cats. He brings the boy to the point where he realizes he can do no more. Through the father's scheming, Chun next takes up lessons with the famous Professor Yu, played here by the director, Chen Kaige. Yu wants one of his two live-in teen pupils to compete internationally and, of course, the audience is set up for the expected rivalry.
The ending is original and affecting without being cloying. Anyone familiar with the American classical music scene, and I am, will recognize the universality of Chun's experience. The pressures put on young potential virtuosi, whether by Professor Jiang in this film or at Juilliard down the street, are enormous. A kid's wish and need to just be a kid is fiercely subordinated to the vision teachers and parents hold for the young musicians.
Perhaps part of the disappointment some feel about "Together" is that Chen Kaige didn't produce a sprawling masterpiece with the for-China daring political overtones that previously got him in hot wonton soup with the authorities. This is a "politically correct" movie in the sense that it doesn't tweak the government's tail or the Party's (there's a difference?). So what? Taken on its own merits "Together" is about parenting, caring, balance and its lack, ambition and the glories of music. Many familiar and beautiful excerpts from the Western canon make up this film's score, often highlighting dramatic moments.
9/10.
Reactions to Chen Kaige's "Together" are very mixed. The story of "Chun," a thirteen-year-old regional violin competition winner from the provinces who travels with his guiding, incessantly cajoling or demanding father to Beijing for advanced instruction and a shot at an international career, is original in the sense that it's set in China. But Chun's journey, actual and emotional, reflects the life of the child musical prodigy anywhere.
Chun's mother disappeared when he was two and he was brought up by his simple but devoted father. Correctly styled a "country bumpkin," this obsequious pursuer of any advantage for the boy - for which no sacrifice is too much - reminds me of American parents I've known who, correctly or not (usually the latter) believed their child was a genius who needed to be nurtured AND pushed, no matter the psychical cost or the premature loss of childhood.
Chun and his father have separate encounters and adventures in Beijing that meld as the story progresses. A young woman, Lily, who would be a perfect character in a Chinese "Sex and the City" series, befriends the kid. A sometimes humorous relationship develops: she styles herself as Chun's "big sister.".
The budding violinist's first teacher, Professor Jiang, shares his untidy apartment with an assortment of rescued cats. He brings the boy to the point where he realizes he can do no more. Through the father's scheming, Chun next takes up lessons with the famous Professor Yu, played here by the director, Chen Kaige. Yu wants one of his two live-in teen pupils to compete internationally and, of course, the audience is set up for the expected rivalry.
The ending is original and affecting without being cloying. Anyone familiar with the American classical music scene, and I am, will recognize the universality of Chun's experience. The pressures put on young potential virtuosi, whether by Professor Jiang in this film or at Juilliard down the street, are enormous. A kid's wish and need to just be a kid is fiercely subordinated to the vision teachers and parents hold for the young musicians.
Perhaps part of the disappointment some feel about "Together" is that Chen Kaige didn't produce a sprawling masterpiece with the for-China daring political overtones that previously got him in hot wonton soup with the authorities. This is a "politically correct" movie in the sense that it doesn't tweak the government's tail or the Party's (there's a difference?). So what? Taken on its own merits "Together" is about parenting, caring, balance and its lack, ambition and the glories of music. Many familiar and beautiful excerpts from the Western canon make up this film's score, often highlighting dramatic moments.
9/10.