A man returns to the village where he was raised to help his mother arrange his father's funeral in this romantic drama about the courtship of his parents and the value of tradition and devotion. Upon his return to the village of Sanheutun, Luo Yusheng (Sun Honglei) finds his aging mother seized with grief over the death of her husband. She insists that her son help her arrange a traditional funeral for his father in which the villagers carry his casket by foot many miles from the hospital back to the village. In an attempt to assess the importance of his mother's wishes, Luo contemplates his parents's marriage. The grainy black and white footage of Luo's China bursts into vibrant color as the story of the courtship of Luo's parents unfolds in a flashback. Zhao Di, (Zhang Ziyi), the most beautiful girl in the village, falls in love at first sight with Changyu (Zheng Hao), a primary-schoolteacher. As their feelings for each other deepen so does the symbolism of the only road that leads from the village to the city.
"...Tenderhearted....Seamless construction and exquisite tonal balance....Ms. Zhang's intensely concentrated performance conveys a current of stubborn, obsessive passion..."
Halliwell's Film Guide
Simply told, a straightforward romance, a story of patience and fidelity, that also reasserts the worth of traditional values over crass materialism.
Rolling Stone
"...The director finds poetry in the face of his lead actress, whose performance is as luminous and moving as the film itself..."
Halliwell's Film Guide
