To Live (1994) [Film Review]

To Live; or, The Irony of Existence

What did you name our son?

           “Don’t-Gamble”

This weeks’ review will be about a Chinese historical epic film directed by Zhang Yimou and the only motion picture from his filmography that was actually banned in mainland China.

Release Info 

Directed by: Zhang Yimou Starring: Ge You, Gong Li, Liu Tanchi, Fei Deng

Language: Mandarin Original Title: Huózhe Movie Industry: PRC Runtime: 125 min

Plot

Meet Xu Fugui (Ge You), a wealthy property owner and a compulsive gambler with a strong tendency to lose. At one of the gambling sessions, he actually loses his family house, rendering in this way his wife Jiazhen (Gong Li) and children homeless. Nevertheless, Fugui finds a way to make a living. He travels through China with a shadow puppet troupe, raising in this manner enough money to open up a shop. Unfortunately, his run of luck is abruptly stopped by the Second World War, or, to be more precise, the conflict between the Kuomitang and the Communists. When Fugui returns to his hometown as Mao Zedong takes control of the country, a penniless family has to learn how to survive in the People’s Republic of China.

The irony of fate

The movie is based on a novel by the Chinese novelist Yu Hua who grew up in the times of Cultural Revolution which had a profound, and negative, influence on him. Both the book and the film are a direct critique of Communism. The action of To Live begins in the 1930s, the period when there were still class boundaries within Chinese society. Thus obviously, Fugui, with his family fortune, belonged to the Upper Class. However, losing everything he owned paradoxically saved him from getting killed by the Communists. Instead of him, the guy who won the house was publically slaughtered. In addition, Fugui assured the kindness of local authorities by presenting a congratulatory letter from the revolutionary army (for entertaining the communist soldiers with his puppets everyday). These are the elements of black comedy that Zhang Yimou conveys in the story. Nevertheless, To Live is primarily a hardcore drama.

Parental instincts

The story is not so much about the survival of a nuclear family in extreme circumstances, but the inevitable failure to do so. Whereas Fugui entertains fellow comrades with his feudal puppets, Jiazhen works hard every morning distributing water, not mentioning the children: Fengxia (Fei Deng) and Youqing (Liu Tanchi) who constantly have to show their “spirit of comradeship” at school. Yet, Communism as an unlawful system, in fact, deprives Fugui and Jiazhen of their children in the most tragic way possible. In the end, the family survives the worst (sort of) but the price they had to pay for “life” involved a lot of suffering.

Recommendations

I recommend this movie to anyone who is very into political matters and would like to finally see something that exposes Communism for what it actually is, a ruthless brain-washing criminal system run by the tyrants, for the tyrants. Yet, the image of China presented in the picture may seem as an already outdated one (for as we all know China is constantly expanding economically); nevertheless, the movie’s still worth watching for a vivid depiction of the Cultural Revolution. In addition, if you enjoy Zhang Yimou films, it’s a must watch.

Overall score: 8/10