Cast: Tang Yun, Liu Peigi, Chen Hong, Wang Zhiwen, Chen Kiage
Director: Chen Kiage
Producers: Chen Kiage, Chen Hong, Li Bolun, Yan Xiaoming, Yang Buting, Lee Joo-ik
Screenplay: Chen Kiage and Xue Xiaolu
Cinematography: Kim Hyung-ku, Jin Jiongqiu
Music: Zhao Ling
U.S. Distributor: United Artists
In Mandarin with subtitles
In the wake of his disastrous English-language thriller, Killing Me Softly, director Chen Kiage has returned to familiar territory. Chen is probably best known for his epic historical dramas, but Together takes place in modern-day Beijing. It's undeniably a melodrama, but there's enough real emotion lurking beneath the manipulative tear jerking to make the movie a worthwhile and occasionally genuinely moving experience.
The story revolves around a 13-year old prodigy named Xiaochun (Tang Yun), who plays the violin with a passion and technical proficiency that few adult masters can match. Accompanied by his peasant father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peigi), Xiaochun comes to Beijing to further his opportunities with his instrument. While his father works long hours, Xiaochun earns a little extra by playing music for an eccentric young woman, Lili (Chen Hong), who lives nearby. Meanwhile, due in large part to the persistence of his father, he becomes the pupil of Professor Jiang (Wang Zhiwen), a teacher who spends as much time wallowing in his own sorrow as instructing Xiaochun. Eventually, Liu recognizes that for his son to advance, he must have a more prominent teacher, so he secures the interest of Professor Yu (Chen Kiage), who accepts only the best and often takes them into the spotlight.
Together is in many ways about the price of being a prodigy. Everyone desires something from Xiaochun, even though many of those close to him genuinely care about his well being. His father wants him to succeed at any price so that he can vicariously experience the thrill of standing on stage in front of enraptured crowds. Lili treats Xiaochun as a personal servant until circumstances force her to make a sacrifice. Professor Jiang sees in his pupil a chance to expiate past sins. And Professor Yu views Xiaochun as a can't-miss prospect whose career he can guide. For his part, Xiaochun must wade through the falseness surrounding him to find what's genuine, and determine what he really wants. Is it to play the violin, even at the cost of his soul?
The acting is spotty. Most of the supporting performers, including the director in the part of Professor Yu, are solid. But there's a hole at the movie's emotional center. Tang Yun is not an accomplished performer, and it shows in scenes where his character is required to show emotion. Tang has almost no range. He is, however, a virtuoso musician, so no faking is required when he's playing the violin. Unsurprisingly, those are the scenes in which he shines – the woodenness fades away and the passion comes through.
An area where the movie falls short is in dealing with the relationship between Xiaochun and Lili. One senses that there should be sexual tension between them (Xiaochun being at the age when boys are intensely curious about sex), especially considering that Xiaochun has a crush on the older girl, but there's no spark, and the movie seems content to mostly ignore this aspect of their relationship. Considering the way in which Lili radiates sensuality, this is an odd omission. And if Chen is trying to illustrate that Xiaochun's devotion to his playing has somehow short-circuited his normal sexual impulses, that's not how it comes across. Otherwise, why would Xiaochun go to such extravagant lengths to buy Lili a gift?
Together is strangely edited, with several jarring cuts and times when entire sequences seem to be jumped over. It's possible that Chen, whose movies typically run long, may have clipped a little more from the final cut than he had initially intended, resulting in a film that occasionally lacks a smooth, polished feel. Despite its drawbacks, however, the movie is affecting and emotionally satisfying. Although not as ambitious as some of Chen's celebrated works (Farewell My Concubine and The Emperor and the Assassin come to mind), Together nevertheless contains moments of cinematic power, and, by the end, almost everyone in the audience will care about Xiaochun, and perhaps even the secondary characters. It's not a perfect film, but it's certainly worth a look.
© 2003 James Berardinelli