The Road Home

Entrepreneur Luo Yusheng returns to his home town in the north of China, for the funeral of his father, the local teacher. He finds his elderly mother, after so long, and she insists on respect for the traditional funeral ceremonies, although times may have changed. His mother is insistent and he remembers the stories he had heard as a boy about his parents? romance. His father, Changyu, had come to Sanhetun to assume a position as teacher and, soon after, fell in love with Zhao Di, regarded as the most beautiful girl in the village. His growing love for her, however, experienced a setback when Changyu had orders to return to the city for political reasons, all of which resulted in the young lovers being apart for over two years. When they finally met once more, they married and were never apart again. Yusheng comes to the conclusion that his mother?s desire to insist on a traditional funeral is to be respected. He gives her the money necessary to hire the services of the men that are to carry his father?s coffin and cover the distance of several miles between the hospital and the burial place in the village. On the day of the funeral, however, scores of Changyu?s former students come on the scene to bear the coffin - and all of them refuse to have any form of payment. Before he returns to the village, Yusheng symbolically honors his father?s greatest dream: he spends his last day in the village teaching in the local school.

Was born in Xian, China, in 1950, and was in elementary school during the Cultural Revolution of 1966. Forced to abandon his studies, he worked in the fields and at weaving factory. His interest led him to teach himself photography. He went to the Beijing Academy of Film. Internationally, he became the most well-known name of the so-called Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmaking. His debut as a director was in 1988 with Red Sorghum, shown at the 12th Mostra. He then made, among others, Raise the Red Lantern (1991), To Live (1994), Keep Cool (1997, 21st Mostra), Not One Less (1998, 23rd Mostra), The Road Home (1999, 24th Mostra), Happy Times Motel (2000, 26th Mostra), Hero (2002, 28th Mostra), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and The Curse of the Golden Flower (2006, 31st Mostra). He also directed the opening and ending ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games, in Beijing.

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA

43ª MOSTRA INTERNACIONAL DE CINEMA