"The direction, performances, music and cinematography give Together a unity and wholeness that's increasingly rare in filmmaking of any origin." Philip Wuntch DALLAS MORNING NEWS "Beautiful, touching and shamelessly manipulative weeper." Rene Rodriguez MIAMI HERALD "It's a touching film in which the actors, including director Chen Kaige in the role of Prof. Yu, deliver heart-touching performances." Susan Walker TORONTO STAR "Impressively, there is not a false emotional or musical note in the entire feature." Bruce Feld FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "Some may find ”Together” to be melodramatic treacle but, particularly because of Peiqi Liu’s touching performance, that’s not such a bad thing." Robin Clifford REELING REVIEWS

A vibrant and touching Chinese film that tugs at the heart with its deft portrait of the challenges faced by a teenage musical prodigy from the provinces after arrivibng in Beijing with his father." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH "A four-handkerchief heart-tugger about paternal love that's irresistible even if it's somewhat cliched." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST "It's an absorbing, genuinely heartwarming parable that says a lot about its specific culture, and, at the same time, speaks in a universal voice that transcends its environment and crosses all national and ethnic boundaries." William Arnold SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "Think Billy Elliot with violins." E! ONLINE "Together may not be overtly political, but its vision of contemporary Beijing, where brazen, fashion-crazed gold diggers like Lili bait their hooks to snare arrogant, slippery wheeler-dealers who end up playing her for a sucker, has bite." Stephen Holden NEW YORK TIMES

At A Glance

"Ripe with transition and underscored by the haunting strains of violins." Jeanne Aufmuth, PALO ALTO WEEKLY

Chen Kaiges "Together" is indeed a scintillating foreign language experienced filled with rich images, clever dialogue and plenty of 'feel good' moments. It reaffirms his reputation as a master film maker after the disastrous experience of "Killing Me Softly". Kaiges other credits include "The Emperor and the Assassin" [1999], "Temptress Moon" [1996], "Farewell My Concubine" [1993], "Life on a String" [1991] and "Yellow Earth" [1986]. Mention Kaiges name and the conversation immediately turns to the Academy Award nominated "Farewell My Concubine" but don't be fooled, "Together" doesn't fall into the 'epic' catagory of Kaiges previous films. Far from it, for while the richness is there this is a film driven by its wonderful characters and beautiful music [performed by the Chinese Symphony Orchestra]. There is a compelling feeling of huge expectation throughout "Together" which grows and grows and much of it centres on Liu Cheng the father. This characters enthusiasm and emotion drive "Together", and ensures it reaches out to its audience. Importantly, "Together" is not a film which makes political statements along party lines or for cultural purposes. Yes, it is Chinese cinema, but it is universal cinema too. Chen Kaige described it this way, "I think perhaps that since for many years, Chinese cinema was closed to the international community, many Western audiences and journalists viewed Chinese cinema that did make its way to the West as being political in nature and concluded that good Chinese cinema was somehow synonymous with filmmakers taking a political stand. Growing up under the Cultural Revolution, I can understand this point of view, and have indeed made films that give a historical perspective." "But," he adds, "on a deeper level, with the film "Together" I wanted to convey that Chinese filmmakers are first and foremost artists, and their films are works of art and should be viewed as portrayals of the conditions we all share as human beings, regardless of culture or politics." Chinese cinema is blossoming in a different political environment today and Kaige remembers what it was like. "It is hard to describe the privations and restrictions we endured and in the prime of our young lives," he says. "Then as young people we were all sent to the countryside to work in labour camps, and often did without many basic necessities, sometimes even without adequate food or medicine. But even then we could see that nature, even life itself, has given us everything we need. Sometimes only in the absence of those material comforts do we realize the spiritual resources we actually have." And has that had any effect on his latest film "Together"? "I think that what I internalised during those turbulent times has influenced each of my films, and no less so with "Together". We can compete with all our might for the brass ring, and stake our hopes on attaining the pinnacle of success," he explains, "but how ironic it is that amidst the furious pursuit of a “better life”, we sacrifice the essence of our culture, our society and sometimes souls." So what was it that made this film so special to him? "Ultimately, I felt compelled to make "Together" out of the conviction that cinema should offer us something to warm ourselves amidst the chill of the modern world. With all its technological advances and heightened capabilities, are we any closer to one another?", he asks. "Somehow, the beautiful, haunting music pouring forth from this young boy’s violin calls us back to ourselves and draws us together once again."
And Kaige knows all about the violin after all he did study it at one time. "I can’t remember why I wanted it so much, but I convinced my mother to buy me a violin," he says. But that didn't last, he'd quit playing the violin after just three years of study. "My mother said to never give up, but I did," he continues. "I was afraid of my teacher. He was very tough, and I didn’t know how to deal with him. I started to learn basketball instead." But during the 'cultural revolution' Kaige found music again. It was a crime to listen to Western music but his friend’s family had some records from before the Revolution. In a secluded space, Chen and his friend found solace in Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Mozart. "We cried," he said, "because the music was so powerful and touched our hearts. It told us what we should do with our lives. My friend said, ‘The music tells us there’s still hope for us.’ I can’t describe how emotionally involved I was."
It is true that music is a big part of "Together" but so is the story of a father and his talented son. How did "Together" come about. From where did the ideas come? It came from a real life story Kaige saw on television. As in the film, the father and son had come to Beijing to find a music teacher who could hone his sons skills. Kaige noted the look on the fathers face and noted that as people passed by he would announce to them with great pride that the violin music they could here came from his son. Later in the story the father remarked to the interviewer, "Our generation lost so much time under the Cultural Revolution. But with my son it will be different. He has a chance, and I am going to make him the number one violinist in the world." In fact this theme of success through music is played out many times a day in China where one million children study music. "There’s a trend," Chen says, "particularly in my generation, for people to send their children to music academies. They feel they lost a lot of time because of the Revolution and didn’t have time to make themselves into ‘somebody,’ so they put their hopes on their children, wanting them to grow up to be rich and famous." But isn't success important? "I’m not against success," says Chen. "It proves how strong you are, what you can do in your field. And I don’t think success and personal happiness are completely against each other. But you have to know what is important in your life. Success is not the purpose of life, otherwise you pay a very high price and at the end of the day you’re not happy at all." Does "Together" provide the success Liu Cheng desires for his son Xiaochun? That can only be answered by seeing "Together" and discovering the truth for yourself. It's a rewarding experience thanks to a grand cast and a heart-tugging storyline. The Story

"Journey of a gifted character ... may work so well that you might not mind its gloriously sappy finale. I'll admit it, I was tearing up at the end." Jeffrey Chen WINDOW TO THE MOVIES

Liu Cheng is a peasant, a cook living in a provincial Chinese city. His son Xiaochun is 13 years old and a talented violinist. Liu Cheng only wants the best for his son and that means travelling to the big city of Beijing where Xiaochun can study with the best teachers. It is not that simple as Liu Cheng soon discovers. Here it is a cut throat world where only the most talented survive and to do that you need the very best. Liu Cheng is prepared to make any sacrifice to ensure his much loved son will succeed. In the big city there are many distractions as both father and son will discover. can Liu Cheng find the right teacher to ensure Xiaochun can live a life of fame and fortune? And what is the secret that Liu Cheng has kept all these years? A young boy, a beautiful prostitute, an eccentric music teacher, a loving father and a respected music professor find a common link through the music of a mothers gift, a violin. The Verdict "Words alone can not describe the beauty, the emotion and the wonderful images that make up Chen Kaiges "Together". This is a truly remarkable film and one I can highly recommend to lovers of quality film. The colorful young Lili, the eccentric Professor Jiang, the devotion of Liu, Chen kaige appearing as Professor Yu, the colorful images and the magnificent music all begs to be watch. If that hasn't convinced you then add to the list a tear jerker of a finish that will soften the hardest of hearts." The Cast

Tang Yun Lui Peiqi Chen Hong Wang Zhiwen Chen Kaige Cheng Qian Kim Hairi Liu Bing

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Xiaochun Liu Cheng Lili Professor Jiang Professor Yu Ahui Mrs Yu Debao

The Crew Directed by Chen Kaige Produced by Ton Gang & Chen Hong Line Producer Zuo Runbei Screenplay by Chen Kaige & Xue Xiao Lu Director of Photography Jin Jiongqiu Korean Cinemtographer Kim Hyungkoo Lighting Lee Kangsan Production design by Cao Juiping & Liu Luyi Recording by Wang Danrong Music Score by Zhao Ling & The China National Symphony Orchestra Costume Design by Bian Yan & Feng Weiling Makeup by Yang Dandan & Yoo Minah Hair Stylist Lee Mansung Editing by Zhou Ying Run Time 116 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright © 2003 - Hopscotch - All Rights Reserved Copyright © 2003 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved