Indo para Casa

The Chinese title of this film means "Fallen leaf returns to the root", i.e. the circle of life. A simple story of carrying a dead friend to his hometown, I wasn't expecting anything more than a light comedy, but it turned out to be so much more.

The protagonist, while carrying his friend, meets all kinds of people in his journey. At times he gets into trouble, sometimes his honesty and tenacity changed people he met, other times he gets encouragement and support. This film successfully portrays the best and the worst of human nature, as well as ups and downs one will encounter in life.

I loved the humor in this movie. I burst out in laughter quite a couple of times, and there were couple of VERY touching and inspirational scenes that just brings tears to your eyes. It was really well-directed, and the main actor Zhao Benshan's acting was fantastic.

It's a great film that I will recommend to anyone I know.

If the motherland were a river, I would be a fish swimming happily. If the motherland were a road, I would be a car moving forward happily. If the motherland were a tree, I would be a leaf waving in the breeze happily.

Life is unpredictable, consisting of ups and downs.Sometimes you may be in high spirits, but at other times you can feel very low. Sometimes you may meet very good people, but don't forget villains do exist. Sometimes you may bound forward and run quickly, but you can be found staggering along one night.

After a dead leaf falls down, it is absorbed by the soil and a new plant will grow.The cycle of birth, growth and death repeats itself, like the river in the last scene. That's life...

No matter how feeble and helpless we may feel sometimes, human beings will still struggle with the environment and fate for an opportunity to live. Ahead of us are lots of things to experience, exciting and depressing. Nevertheless, because of pain, we know what pleasure is. (That's just like the walking scenes in the movie. When the girls working in the field, cars, cow and bicycle pass by, we know how fast Old Zhao walks. By the way, the audience may pay attention to the symbolic meanings of different vehicles in the movie, e.g. bicycles, coaches, carts, private cars, trucks, buses, etc.) If we were doomed to the sufferings, what we are able to change would be the way in which we interpret them. Be positive and never give up! The movie ends suddenly and the unfinished business may puzzle some members of the audience. However, I personally find it very meaningful and symbolic. The ending successfully upgrades this can-be-typical road movie to an abstract motto. "Life is a road comprising UPS and DOWNS. Do live each day happily as it comes and enjoy life to the full!" The ending (i.e. the river) also symbolically implies that human beings should not always emphasize the importance of results. Instead, we should pay attention to the process.

Those touching moments, black humor, superb acting and the meaningful ending make this road movie a unique and impressive one causing catharsis. Moved to tears and laughter, you may ponder on the meaning of LIFE when you leave the theatre. My favourite movie in 2007!!!

From this movie ,you could see people who live in the bottom of China modern society. Poor people showed his brave heart and Chinese traditional virtue.

I think it is the best movie this year. Much more better than Zhangyimou's huge movie ---the Curse of Golden Flower .

Simple script but a great movie!

Rich people but cold heart;

Young lucky boy traveling with dream; Great mum sacrifice for his son ; Young beauty walk on the edge of city; Also the dark side:evil boss whom cheat his employee with fake money;robber on the highway;cheating eatery on the road; ... It is so real,just a portrait of today's China.

the film is philosophical, yet simple.......... it says that human life itself is a journey.we all have some promises to keep and these promises keep our life meaningful(!).here the hero has to get his friend's body to his home.on the way to home of the dead he meets people with different nature.some of the experiences were sour.but it does not make any change on him,his innate qualities are left intact.it makes us remember of the the fact that journey is the nature and essence of human life.this journey passes through the variety of the land scape and similarity of the human nature across the geographical and political frontiers.we can identify it with our own experience of moving with a body that is not at all of ours!

As with many "Road Movies" this is also a "Buddy Film". Only, the buddy is a very "silent partner". "Weekend at Bernie's" and "The Trouble with Harry" spring to mind, but our friend does not nearly play such an active role as Bernie or Harry - though he does provide the reason for being on the road.

Travelling with our buddies through China on the way to the Three Gorges really has the feel of being on Route #66, China. I felt like I was looking over Charles Kuralt's shoulder whenever there was yet another vignette of rural China. Wheather true or not, I come away with the belief I know/understand these people of the earth. The touching and moving parts of the film are meant to tug at our heart-strings but do not feel contrived. That so many of the commenter's express how beautifully the film shows "their" China, I am convinced that such hardships are typical there.

Yet, with all the sadness, this is a "feel good" movie. Life goes on, tomorrow is another day, and our journey's end is just down the road a bit.