Huozhe (1994)
Grade: 86
Better known by its English translation "To Live", "Huozhe" tells the story of a small Chinese family, from the 1940s through the 1960s. The great political turmoil of that country, from the Civil War to the resulting Communist dictatorship, the economic hardships and political purges, are themes examined from the family's point of view.
The story begins with Fugui (You Ge) gambling away the family home of his elderly father. Fugui and young pregnant wife Jiazhen (Li Gong) are left destitute. Fugui scrapes a living as a puppeteer, then is forced to serve in both the Nationalist and the Communist armies. Fugui is reunited with his family, which struggles to survive the dynamic and dangerous political winds. There are family triumphs and tragedies.
Fugui has a major character transformation once he becomes homeless. Before, he was proud, curt and self-destructive. After, he is humble, hard-working, and determined to make things best for his family. This transformation would not be credible in most films, but is done so skillfully in "To Live" that it seems natural.
The novel and screenplay were both co-written by Yu Hua and Wei Lu. They succeed in getting across, without ever becoming pedantic, the problems that come with Communist dictatorships: everyone is equally poor, brainwashed with political slogans that eventually are seen through, with harsh penalties for acts arbitrarily interpreted as capitalistic or "counter-revolutionary". Too much success can be dangerous.
I liked the character of Fugui's rebellious son Youqing (Deng Fei). Being a child, Fei is not the best actor. A scene where he engages in a streetfight isn't convincing. But his impish personality and actions keep Fugui and Jiazhen, as well as the audience, guessing as to what will happen next.
kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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