Shānhé gùrén (or) Mountains May Depart (Chinese, 2015)

In spite of the Story being divided into three parts, the simple narrative goes very well in showing the epic story of China’s rapid industrial growth and the identity crisis that comes along with it.

The performance of Zhao Tao as Tao is impeccable. She plays young Tao with exuberance. Hidden in the lively face is a mounting confusion to choose between two men who love her. This confusion that she displays in the first part of the movie, is what carries through the second and the third part – as she thinks over the decision that she made. The movie is pulled by her in the first and second parts. All the supporting performances are great too, but this is more of her show.

The cinematography of the movie has a unhurried calculated rhythm to it. But there is also a forward movement as the time goes fast. The aspect ratio changing from 1:33 for 1999, standard 1:85 for 2014, and a widescreen 1:2.35 for the future is not just a trick. It flows well with the widening introspection of the mistakes of the past.

The director infuses the movie with symbolism. The entire love triangle in the beginning seems to be a metaphor for the young China(or any developing nation) inclining towards capitalism & globalization at the cost of losing its own identity is brought out symbolically in a perfect way. The composition and framing of the shots are visually rich too. The love triangle and the shift in balance is frequently brought out through the compositions.

The merging of real life events into the movie that gives a real palpable realism that works out for the movie. This was done already by Jia Zhang ke in Touch of Sin, in which the individual stories were based on newspaper articles. Here again he does the same thing. The monk praying for the dead man in the railway station is based on a real event.

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