Tuya de hun shi (2006)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Quanan Wang

Writers:

Wei Lu (writer) and
Quanan Wang (writer)

Release Date:

8 June 2007 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Set in Inner Mongolia, a physical setback causes a young woman to choose a suitor who can take care of her, as well as her disabled husband.

Plot Keywords:

Mongolia | Family Relationships | Drought | Accident | Camel

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

Nan Yu	...	Tuya
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bater	...	Bater
Sen'ge	...	Sen'ge
Zhaya	...	Zhaya

Also Known As:

Tuya's Marriage (International: English title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

China

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 | Taiwan:GP (original rating)

Company:

Maxyee Culture Industry

Almost a documentary

This movie is more meaningful when viewed as a semi-documentary. Through the micro angle of a slightly dramatized story of Tuya, we are introduced to the macro reality of the harsh livelihood of the backward areas of Mongolia and, although not specifically addressed, of many parts of China.

Tuya's predicaments are by no means unique, or even unusual, for there are many areas in the mainland where natural resources that we in modern cities take for granted are luxuries. With her husband paralyzed as a result of attempts to drill wells for water, Tuya, relatively young, reasonably good looking and unquestionably able-bodied, takes up the burden of rearing a herd if lambs and caring for her husband and two children. The son, just about turning teen, is a help but the daughter is small. When the burden comes close to being unbearable, the couple resorts to what a lot of people in similarly locations under similar situations do. The have a divorce, and the wife looks for an opportunity for re-marrying, to a man capable of taking care of the children. In Tuya's case, there is another condition: the suitor must undertake to take in the paralyzed ex-husband.

The story, as the title suggests, revolves around the events leading to Tuya's marriage, or re-marriage. The events unfold in as natural a manner as can be presented in a movie. There are moments of both farce and pathos, but none is contrived. You can believe that this is exactly the way things would happen. YU Nan who plays Tuya is a marvelous actress. All the other key characters are real local people, using their real names in the movie, but I am not sure whether they are indeed acting out their own story.

"Tuya' marriage" won the Golden Berlin Bear earlier this year, a last-minute entry in the competition and a surprise winner.