Ju Dou

1990 romantic tragedy

Rating: 17/20

Plot: The rich owner of a dye mill marries the type of woman who's likely to sleep with any goofy-looking guy who's willing to spy on her. An employee and nephew of the owner does just that, and a baby is conceived. They keep that a secret, the owner has a stroke, and the boy grows into a pleasant teenager.

This is a story with tragic depth and more than its fair share of stunning moments. There's tons to like here. Most obvious is the look of the film which is just gorgeous, probably expected from a movie Yimou Zhang (also known as Zhang Yimou) is associated with. Goings-on are so perfectly framed by the architecture of this dye mill, and the simplest things--an ascent up some steps, a donkey's eyeball, dye swirling in a pool, a dusty light beam through a hole in the wood, rain dripping from a hole in the ceiling, a flashy red shirt on a blue rainy night, an old guy's saggy pants, a dyed fuzzy weed, a shot of a kid with an ax--and make them into the most beautiful things. And of course there's Gong Li's general shape. I also like foreign movies that feature characters working with antiquated tools. It's like pornography to me, and I enjoyed all the moving parts and creaking limbs in the dye shop. I also loved the contrast early between the shirtless sweating men with their grimy tools and the titular wife as she unfurls the translucent clothes in the sunlight. So beautiful. I really liked the acting in this, especially the lovely Gong Li and Li Wei who plays the uncle. My favorite moment might be seeing the uncle's joyous expression when the boy calls him daddy in front of his parents. I also liked his eventual demise, one made more tragic because you've got a mentally challenged kid laughing at you. Of course, I also liked seeing him row himself around in his little cart. It made me a little envious, and I wanted a little cart of my own. I was really amazed with how they made these characters look older. A lot of it probably has to do with the acting as I really felt the pain these characters were living as they were trapped by their own lies and secrecy. Add a minimalistic soundtrack that I think was played on David Carradine's flute, and you've got a delicate little tragedy. It's a downer, but it's a beautiful one, a movie with themes that extend way beyond the rural setting in this foreign land with its weird little tools. A question: What's with the baby-in-a-barrel thing? Upright in a barrel while wearing a snowsuit? What the hell is going on there? Oh, and around the 36 minute mark, Ju Dou tells the nephew to "suck it" while at the 54 minute mark, the old guy throws out a "Who's your daddy?" Both of those made me laugh.

This was a Cory recommendation.