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THE ROAD HOME Send This Review to a Friend
There is a thrilling sequence in director Zhang Yimou's wonderful "The Road Home," set in China, in which a parade of a deceased teacher's former pupils honor the wishes of his devoted widow and carry his coffin over a long distance to his resting place near the old schoolhouse where he taught and which was the focal point of a tender love that blossomed despite formidable obstacles. The sight of this journey described in the title is so deeply touching that it makes this simply told tale soar. The effectiveness is in the context of the rest of remarkably sensitive work by a director justly recognized as a contemporary master.
The story builds from the return of businessman Luo Yusheng (Sun Honglei) in response to notification by the district mayor that his father has died suddenly. Luo's grieving mother Zhao Di (Zhao Yuelin) has made up her mind that her husband will be buried according to tradition and that she will personally weave the funeral cloth and that the coffin must be carried on foot instead of driven from the hospital where he died back to the village so that he can rest in peace. It is winter and it would be difficult to find men to make the trudge through snow-covered roads. Zhao Di is adamant that tradition be followed.
The story that gracefully unfolds in flashback reveals why, for it is a beautiful account of how Zhao Di, played in her youth by the lovely Zhang Ziyi, falls in love with Luo Changyu (Zheng Hao) when he comes to her village to teach school. Yimou depicts the charming growth of the relationship from the first shy starts to their avowed love, tragically interrupted by political events when complications lead to the teacher being taken away for questioning and a cruel separation during which we see Zhao Di's fierce devotion without losing hope that they will be reunited.
As their story unfolds we are given a sense of what life is like in the village and the importance of having a dedicated teacher, as well as an understanding of why Luo's death is such a blow to his widow, and why she must honor him not only because of their closeness but in recognition of what a fine human being he was. Yimou and screenwriter Bao Shi also develop the growth of the son in his understanding of his parents and why he must honor his mother's wishes. That this gentle film is so deeply moving is yet another tribute to director Yimou's artistry. "The Road Home" offers pure esthetic pleasure as well as emotional satisfaction. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
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