Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Ken Takakura
The story: A Japanese fisherman called Takata (Takakura) travels to China to help his estranged and dying son film a folk opera star. The singer has promised to perform the legendary song Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.
After Takata arrives in Yunnan province, he discovers that the singer is in jail for stabbing a man. As a favour to the star, Takata goes to a remote village to search for his illegitimate son. The young boy helps Takata rediscover a sense of family warmth.
The star: Takakura's stunning screen performances during the 1970s inspired a young Zhang to quit his job at a cotton factory in order to study filmmaking. Known as the Clint Eastwood of Japan, the 75-year-old conveys a unique sense of solitude and sadness that is almost too painful to watch.
Why bother? Zhang is the mainland's answer to Steven Spielberg: both are incapable of making a boring film, regardless of the subject. A master at toying with the audience's emotions, Zhang infuses the film with humorous and heartbreaking moments. Viewers will laugh and cry - possibly at the same time.
