Director-writer-producer-star Chen Kaige--well known for his visually sumptuous tales of historical China (FAREWELL MY CONCUBINE)--directs this sweet-natured coming of age tale set in modern day Beijing. An impoverished cook, Liu Chen (Liu Peiqui), gives up his provincial life to move his 13-year-old violin virtuoso son, Xiaochun (Tang Yun), to Beijing so that he can audition for a prestigious music school. Once in the crowded industrial city Liu is bewildered by the big money and corruption and Xiaochun is forced to learn about the perils of the real world and the high stress of competitive classical music training from Professor Tiang (Wang Zhiwen), a cynical and eccentric music teacher. While Liu struggles as a lowly food delivery man, Xiaochun blossoms as a musician, but also as a modern day teenager, full of confusion and desire. His desire is provoked by their neighbour, Lili (Chen Hong--Chen Kaige's wife), a high-class call girl whose love of money and power masks a pure heart that tenderly cares for the young boy. With dreams of his son's potential, Liu hires a second teacher, Professor Yu (played by Chen Kaige), who is a slick and ruthless starmaker. Finally, Xiaochun must decide whether his dreams are the same as his father's, in this moving tale set to an eloquent classical music soundtrack.
Music has been an important feature of Chen Kaige's films since Life on a String. Yet, despite this Beijing melodrama turning around a provincial peasant who sacrifices all so that his son can study the violin, the unforced sincerity and acute insight of his early work continues to elude a director caught between China's dramatic socio-economic transformation and his own international art house celebrity. However, this is a vast improvement on the dismal Killing Me Softly, with Liu Peiqi and Tang Yun charmingly credible as proud father and teenage prodigy, while Wang Zhiwen and Chen Hong provide genial support as an eccentric genius and a good-time girl with a conscience.
Empire
"...Feel-good and heartwarming - [the performances are] a delight..."
Radio Times
