"Mountains May Depart"(山河故人) was directed by Jia Zhangke (贾樟柯) and stars his wife, Zhao Tao(赵涛). This husband and wife team have worked together on a hand full of works causing them to be well known in the world of China's underground indie film industry. The film's plot tells sets the pace for the span of time involving three friends, two men and one women set in the era of China's capitalist experiment.(I guess this is still kind of going on.) The film is told in three parts which are the dates of 1999, 2014, and 2025.
To advent watcher of Jai Zhangke's directorial works, you know that many of his films are shot in the city of Shanxi or areas around the city. "Mountains May Departs" shows China in its most raw detail. The beginning of the film wants the viewer to know that China has( had?) problems with its economy and the working class people are greatly affected by this fact. Shots show people making about from day to day trying to earn money by own stores, seeing certain goods, or doing dangerous hands on work. One quality I always seem to notice about the setting in Zhangke's films is the condition of the buildings and the overall dumpy look of the slums in China. These slums have families in them who want more out of life and try their hardest everyday no matter the odds. Scenes of streets and the inside of homes give a homely touch the the films already raw telling nature. Our three main characters also wish to get away from their daily workaholic lives so this is where shots of lush green fields full of tranquil grass the glides oh so slowly in the breeze and the valley that symbolizes emptiness from departure. You know how a valley is made up of the deep part in the middle and the two sides that are separated by that deep part? Its like a symbolism of departure that time causes some of us to do in this life. The actually city of Shanxi looks like a palace with its uprise apartments where the rich who benefit from the government's capitalism are living. The storyline also takes you outside of China but this will not be discussed here as I feel this would ruin the film and I want everyone to fully enjoy the experience.
The performances were what you would expect from this kind of cultural telling of life in China for many people living there. The acting doesn't feel like your watching a film, but a documentary about the issues that go on with Chinese families living in that time frame of 1999 and even today. You also see sprinkles of love and lost between the three main characters as the they try to make sense of whats happening between them in the mist of their country's struggle. The only thing they really have is music which plays a huge role in many of Jai Zhangke's films. Sometimes you need to feel connected to something or you will break. All of the characters in "Mountains May Depart" look their happiest when music was involved. Music is a very big tradition in Chinese culture and it brings even the most heated enemies together.Of course, I'm talking about music exclusive to China. Not the music that has foreign influence. The best acting happened during the later part of the film in its closing ark. Here we have a great portal of what it means to never forget your culture and where you original came from. I don't care how many different languages you speak, or how many different races of people you meet, you will always be the race you are born as. Wear that with pride and love who you are. This was a very big conflict in the closing of this film and I loved every minute of what I saw.
I believe that people who watch this film will have different opinions on the plot and how it is paced. We could say that its very disjointed but there is never a true problem with keeping up with the story. The opening ark was slow but there was content that sets up the rest of the film. I have a couple of questions about the emotions of certain characters and why they did what they did but thinking about it now, We know it was because of their living conditions. I'm not sure why I thought this film would have to do with love surviving across the span of time.... Well, A love did survive across the span of time but not the kind of love that I was expecting. This really is the beauty of this film.
"Mountains May Depart" and many other filmography by Jia Zhangke are never given the "ok" to be licensed officially by the Government in China. These films have no filter on the story they are trying to tell. I would say check this film out if you want to see more into real Chinese culture along with a interesting plot.
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!! (^.^)
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