If the pacing is deliberate in Ruijun Li’s look at a newly married couple following traditional rural ways in modern China*, so too is the lifestyle on display. It makes for a tough, lovely film about ‘Fourth Brother,’ low on the pecking order of his extended family, finally being given an ‘arranged’ marriage after decades of farm work for a more favored brother. His match an unwanted runt-of-the-litter afterthought, physically challenged with a weak left side, bladder issues, and unable to have children. Deposited in a rundown house with forgotten farmland to work, the two make a considerable go of every difficulty. HER: unnervingly withdrawn, but demonstrating willingness and work ethic. HIM: with unending stamina and surefooted ability to tackle any issue farm or home throws at them; remarkably patient helping his wife overcome obstacles to the extent possible. Their accomplishments large and small both challenging and fascinating as laid out by Li and his cast in ultra-realistic full-shot coverage and the naturalism of non-pro Renlin Wu as the husband and pro Hai-Qing as the wife. Hope, success and tragedy over the course of a year prove irresistibly compelling with Li not ashamed to flavor his work with occasional technical flourishes (check out the roof raising camera angles) and appropriate emotional sweetening via subtle music underscoring. The film a gem.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: *If comments can be believed, the film was pulled from distribution in spite of a succssful opening when authorities decided to suppress it for showing a backward side of rural, still underdeveloped wheat/corn dependent North-Central China.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: An ‘out there’ suggestion: Compare & contrast ultra-naturalism against haute old-school Hollywood filmmaking of faux China and the standard YellowFace casting of mid-‘30s Golden-Age studio practice seen in THE GOOD EARTH/’36. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/05/good-earth-1937.html
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