L'enfant au violon

This is a wonderful film. On the surface it's about a musically gifted 13 year old boy from the country going with his father to seek fame and fortune. Underneath, it's about hundreds of things. Just like Tous les Matins du Monde it's about music but also about how people lose the love of music through the events that befall them. What I notice about "Together" (He ni zai yi qi) is the theme of ownership -- how it eludes those who seek it in music. The acclaimed music teacher, Professor Yu, reminisces in class on how much he loved music, how his love of Vivaldi flourished during the Cultural Revolution despite the threat he was under. But now at the height of his fame he does not enjoy music any more; he only enjoys power. The boy's other music teacher has lost his love of music by becoming dispirited and his life has become decrepit. But the film has many other themes. It could be about the inarticulacy of adolescence, especially one burdened with impossibly difficult feelings. It could also be an allegory about China. I watched it as "Together" with English subtitles, but one sensed that in Chinese it had other layers of meaning -- the notion of the scholar as venerated in Chinese society, for instance. There are some things not quite realized and the ending is soft-centered, but the acting by the son and especially his father is gripping. It's a film that would repay repeated viewings.

The kid and his father do a great job making this work. The plot twist is very powerful. The musicianship is incredible. If you don't cry at the end, you're made of stone... I don't care how cynical you are.

Movie does make use of several clichés about music teachers, but the funny thing is, a lot of music teachers are that cliché! And the classical music world is very political, as portrayed. And great musicianship IS a function of more than just fast fingers, as portrayed. The toughest part of this is how a country bumpkin learned to be that good in the first place. Who was his teacher?

Anyway, I highly recommend it.

The positive things are all you can imagine and more. The acting is believable, the casting just right, the music is spectacular as are the performances, and the story is nice with a little surprise beginning slowly half way thru and blossoming near the end. Except for that there are no real unpredictable moments. The interplay between the story and music is accomplished masterfully. I remember listening to many of those selections as a boy and how the emotions in the music generated tears. The same emotions are here and yet amplified by the conditions in the lives of the people and the needs that drive them. You know the story: a peasant father whose son is a violin talent and who sacrifices everything to move to a big city so the boy can have advanced instruction and rightfully achieve fame and fortune. The boy's mother died when he was a baby and the only thing she left him was a violin, the same one he plays now and cherishes because of her. His talent is recognized by a master teacher who long ago has lost the woman he loved and has withdrawn from society with the exceptions of caring for stray cats and teaching untalented students - for his survival. There is a nice minor theme in the relationship between the teacher sinking and the student rising. A secondary theme develops between the boy and a woman he sees and meets at the train station. She is a man chaser and the boy sees beauty and fun in her beginning with an argument with her boyfriend who she kisses on parting. It turns out that she and the boy live near to each other and he plays violin for her. Because of her, the father wants to change teachers and convinces an up-scale teacher to work with the boy. The teacher reluctantly accepts; however, the boy doesn't want to leave the first teacher. Another energy to drive the plot.

Negative things, which likely trigger the PG label are, in my opinion, minimal. The boy has pictures of women he places in his music books. At first you are to think he is a naughty little boy; indeed, the father accuses him so, and yet you realize eventually that the pictures represent the mother he never met. The boy is enamored by the woman he meets in the train station; he even helps her prepare a party for her boyfriend; and goes with her when she shops. The father gets angry with him; hits him, likely for the first time; takes the picture of the lady away; and the boy hits back, unacceptable in his culture. Also, some of the women are portrayed as mean in their verbal attacks and this includes a young female violinist. The movie should be fine for any child who can read or understand that Chinese dialect. I'd like to see it again and I'll buy the DVD when it is released.

I have just seen this movie at a press screening here in Amsterdam and must say this was one hell of a movie! Hell in the positive way! Every time Xiaochung( my Chinese is rusty) ended his concert, I wanted to stand up and applaud!

Story: 13-years old young boy travels with his father to the big city.The father has one goal: to make his son this best violin player. He tries to get him the best professor, but that is not enough. In the real world you need more. The professor realizes this but in China honor is very important. The boy thinks he has failed, but later on he understands. Particular the role of the father was wonderful. He wants the best for his son but hasn't the means to make it work. Xiaochung also discovers another part of growing.

I very much liked this movie, maybe because I am fan of Chinese movies, maybe because I have been there. There is drama, humor, very good music and a piece of the Chinese culture in this fantastic movie. By the way, the movie is from the director of Farewell to My Concubine, need I say more?

Here is fairly pleasant story of a 13-year-old violin prodigy and his financially-strapped father try to get the boy professional help to aid in the kid's musical career. The father is a bit on the pushy side but he has a good heart and he's pretty comical, too. The young teen is a likable kid and the other main characters - two of his teachers and the "big sister" - are all interesting people.

The dialog, as with many "foreign" films, is different from what we are used to hearing in North America and I, for one, find it appealing.

At almost two hours, this might be a bit long for most people to put up with subtitles, but I didn't find that a hindrance in keeping focused on this story. Along the way, you get to enjoy some excellent violin playing, too. People who like amiable-character stories and good music should enjoy this very much.