The Road Home (1999)
"Wo de fu qin mu qin" (original title)

Prompted by the death of his father and the grief of his mother, a man recalls the story of how they met in flashback.

Director:

Yimou Zhang

Writers:

Shi Bao (novel), Shi Bao (screenplay)

Stars:

Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun, Hao Zheng

15 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ziyi Zhang	...	Zhao Di, Young (as Zhang Ziyi)
Honglei Sun	...	Luo Yusheng (as Sun Honglei)
Hao Zheng	...	Luo Changyu (as Zheng Hao)
Yulian Zhao	...	Zhao Di, Old (as Zhao Yulian)
Bin Li	...	Grandmother
Guifa Chang	...	Mayor, Old
Wencheng Sung	...	Mayor
Qi Liu	...	Carpenter Xia, Old
Bo Ji	...	Carpenter Xia
Zhongxi Zhang	...	Crockery Repairman

Storyline

City businessman Luo Yusheng returns to his home village in North China for the funeral of his father, the village teacher. He finds his elderly mother insisting that all the traditional burial customs be observed, despite the fact that times have changed so much, and that it involves many people carrying his father's body back to the village - the road home. As Yusheng debates the complications involved in organising such a big feat, he remembers the magical story of how his father and mother first met and got together.

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Plot Keywords:

village | teacher | burial | flashback | death | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics [us]

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

16 October 1999 (China)

Also Known As:

The Road Home

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$75,368 (USA) (25 May 2001)

Gross:

$1,280,090 (USA) (26 October 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Film Production Asia, Guangxi Film Studio

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmmaker Yimou Zhang has said that this film was his tribute to and heavily influenced by the work of Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

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Quotes

Zhao Di, Young: I'll be waiting for you.

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Connections

References Taste of Cherry (1997)

User Reviews

Simple, Moving, Gorgeous

From the first frames of this classic tale of love, I was absolutely drawn in to feel as though I was taken from a movie and into a tale of the story of two people who fell in love. There was no sappy story, and actually, there wasn't even a single kiss. But one could feel a sense of passion and love from all the characters and those who had a hand in completing this elegant tale. My goodness, I didn't feel as though I were watching people acting. I felt as if they were the actual people. The elders, towns folk, and main characters all embraced their roles down to the last thread of clothing, and it seems as though the location was an actual remote town. There was only a simple plot, where a son returns home by the request of the mayor, to a town where a grieving mother has to bury her husband, who once had taught at the town's school.

The writing was crafted quite well. The cast and crew's work showed their dedication. Definitely a movie for all ages, but a must for those who still believe in love and destiny. Although it's a tear- jerker, it's because the viewer feels for the characters, not because we had been force- fed sentimental moments. No one was killed, not a shot was fired, no cute animals, and no scenes of kissing. I'm trying to even remember if the mother and father had even held hands, yet one can feel that they both truly loved each other. Kudos to director Zhang Yimou, who crafted a thoughtful, moving, and believable movie.