Chen Kaige, the Chinese director best known for period epics such as Farewell My Concubine and The Emperor and the Assassin, tackles a contemporary, scaled-down story in this charmingly manipulative film about a peasant who takes his violin prodigy son to Beijing in hopes of securing a place for him in a prestigious music school. If one is willing to swallow Together's strongly sentimental streak, it's an affecting if old-fashioned movie (the love between father and son is palpably felt), and in its depiction of a warmhearted prostitute who befriends the boy and his two teachers--one amusingly eccentric and the other (played by Kaige himself) sternly pragmatic--the picture comments wryly on China's rush toward capitalism and her newfound materialism. Beautifully crafted, with lovely cinematography, a fine score, and a visually elaborate finale set to Tchaikovsky's violin concerto (that may be saccharine but is expertly done), Together is reminiscent of those tearjerkers Hollywood studios were once so adept at churning out--corny, yes, but it's mostly flavorful corn, and it truly comes from the heart. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Together
MGM, 117 min., in Mandarin w/English subtitles, PG, VHS: $39.99, DVD: $29.98, Nov. 18 Volume 18, Issue 6
Together
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