27016317
Together
PG
Opening tomorrow at Ritz theaters
Three reels out of four
Together, the newest film by Chen Kaige (whose Farewell My Concubine was nominated for Best Foreign Film of 1993), is that most frustrating of movies.
It has moments of sheer beauty and truth that are invariably mixed with mawkishness and pure corniness. In some ways, it embodies both what people love and hate about foreign films. On one hand, it is unbelievably honest, a quality not usually found in your run-of-the-mill Hollywood drama. On the other hand, it is sometimes very precious and not a little grating, and might make less adventurous filmgoers head for the exit.
Inspired by a documentary, this coming-of-age tale is about quiet 13-year-old Xiaochun (Tang Yun), a gifted violinist who lives with his father in a small rural town in China. To further his son’s dream of becoming a professional musician, the father (Liu Peiqi) moves with him to bustling Beijing, where the boy is accepted at a prestigious music school. There, Xiaochun learns about friendships and girls while gaining a deeper appreciation of music and all that it encompasses.
The acting is quite good. Yun, the teenager who plays the lead role, is a natural. In fact, Kaige discovered him in a violin competition. Peiqi is also outstanding as the father, although the character is not exactly likeable. The director himself plays a particularly strict music teacher.
As for the movie, there is much to like. It is, at times, beautiful to look at. Also quite stunning is the location photography.
But what resonates much more is the relationship between the two teachers and the young boy. One instructor is every kid’s dream teacher. He is unkempt but fun to be with, but, more importantly, he is all about the music. The second teacher is every parent’s dream. His main goal is that his students succeed and will do anything possible to achieve that goal. Director Chaige Ken has been quoted as saying that this movie is about two things. The first is the bond between father and son. The second is about how China has changed since the end of the Cultural Revolution. In this respect, the movie succeeds very well.
However, it has its weak points. There’s simply too much going on in the film, and it often vacillates between whimsical comedy and melodrama without so much as a "how do you do?" And some scenes border on corniness.
Overall, though, the movie is proof that Hollywood has a long way to go when it comes to dramas. Compared to Together, The Hours seems almost slick. The film’s ending is something right out of a Warner Brothers movie of the 1930s. Like much of Together, it packs an emotional punch, even if you must suspend your disbelief.
Frida
R
Available Tuesday
Salma Hayek’s performance is totally major-league. Wearing that uni-brow for two hours is brave enough, but baring her soul the way she does is even more courageous. Frida is the story of Mexican surrealist Frida Kahlo. Although the movie covers almost her entire life, it is most concerned with her tumultuous but not totally loveless marriage to Mexican artist Diego Rivera. Julie Taymor’s adventurous and artful direction is an appropriate homage to a woman who was not only a great artist but possessed more cojones than all the bulls in Mexico.
