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Review: To Live (活著) (1994)
Ah, this was another of those quintessentially Chinese stories. To Live was a story about a family as they struggled through the political turmoil of China, encountering woes but learning to keep moving forward.
I would recommend this movie, but prepare the tissues. There is something about Chinese parents that always hits deep and this movie brought that kind of emotion.
Spoilers.
Story
This could technically be classified as a slice-of-life story. I'd say that Xu Fugui was the main character. In the beginning, he was a rich young master who gambled away his entire family's wealth. He then found work as a puppeter, was briefly captured by both sides in the Chinese Civil War, and eventually returned home where he continued being a puppeter but also helped his wife with her job refilling people's water supply.
Xu Fugui and his wife Jiazhen had two children, Fengxia and Youqing. Fengxia became mute and mostly deaf after a childhood illness. Youqing died after being run over by a car (coincidentally by Chunsheng, Fugui's fellow puppeter). Fengxia grew to adulthood and married a man called Wan Erxi. They eventually had a child but Fengxia died due to excessive blood loss, being taken care of by inexperienced medical students.
At the end of the movie, the family unit is made up of Xu Fugui, Jiazhen, Erxi, and Mantou (Erxi and Fengxia's child). After the family visited Fengxia and Youqing's graves, the ending credits rolled over a scene of them having a meal.
I liked this story because it was subdued. Yes, the Xu family ran into tragedy after tragedy, but I wouldn't say that any particular person was a villain. Everyone was trying to get by on their own terms, and the Xu family was just dealt a very poor hand.
I also cried several times during this movie. I couldn't stop crying when Youqing died. Fugui and Jiazhen trying to see their child on the stretcher was such a heartbreaker. And then when they expressed their guilt the first time at Youqing's grave, I just couldn't stop crying. Youqing's death was not their fault, but Jiazhen couldn't help but try to grasp at straws, thinking of ways that she could've stopped this from happening. I think one of th reasons I cried so hard was because this family was so relatable. Of course, I am far more privileged than them. But we'd been with them through several stages in their family history, and I grew particularly fond of their family bond.
Production
Acting
The acting was terrific. When I first saw Ge You I was like "...this guy is awfully familiar," and I realized he was the rich patron from Farewell My Concubine. He played a more despicable guy in that movie. In this movie, he was pretty douchey at first, but he was humbled soon after, and I really came to sympathize with him.
As for Gong Li, I love how she's never just reduced to "the pretty woman." Yes, she's obviously very beautiful, but in her roles, it's always her personality that takes center stage and her looks come second. During this movie, I only associated Jiazhen with her persistent and fiercely maternal character.
These two actors really did a great job in this movie. A+++.
Characters
Xu Fugui
Early on in the movie, Fugui was humbled. I think he didn't realize that he could ever gamble away his family wealth. It struck him as a surprise when the gambling parlour told him he no longer had anything to gamble, and his wife left him with their daughter and unborn child.
Fugui was forced out of his home with his mother, and struggled as a street vendor. Even in the cold snowy winter, Fugui had to set up a stall. I think this experience really taught Fugui that staying alive was not as easy as he thought.
When his family returned, Fugui now had something to live for again. He had his wife and two kids to care for. He was still poor, but he was considerably happier than when he was a rich young master.
Being captured by both the Kuomintang and Communist forces was another experience that taught Fugui the meaning of life. He and Chunsheng could've died so easily, and it would be a waste if he didn't live it to the fullest.
For the rest of the movie, I think Fugui tried his best to be a good dad and a good caregiver. He did puppeting shows for a while, but they'd gotten kind of old and also the Communist regime was trying to get rid of old traditions. I'm not sure if Fugui found any other job, but he did also help his wife with her water supply job from time to time.
I really liked watching Fugui's journey. I guess it took losing everything for him to really understand what was important. Of course, his family was his #1. But I also felt that he valued life in general. Towards the end of the movie when Fugui was older, I felt that he was generally a kinder man, even to acquaintances.
Jiazhen
Jiazhen was a very protective mother. When she was having her second child, Jiazhen realized that staying Fugui was going to be bad for her and the kids. She couldn't rely on him, and more importantly, he might even be a liability, so it was better off to just raise the kids on her own.
I'm not sure how Jiazhen heard of her husband's situation, but I guess through the grapevine, she figured out that he was probably a changed man. When they first reunited, he listened a lot more, was more accommodating, and was more understanding.
As Fengxia and Youqing were growing up, we saw that Jiazhen was always very defensive of them. When Youqing dumped his noodles all over the bully, Jiazhen defended Youqing. First, she just didn't approve of Fugui hitting their kid, but second, she acknowledged that Youqing was doing it to protect his sister.
Jiazhen also had a great relationship with the kids, and knew how to cheer them up. Youqing was obviously mad at his dad for disciplining him even though he was standing up for his sister, so Jiazhen gave him the ammo to play a prank on his own dad.
Jiazhen was unable to forgive Chunsheng for kiling Youqing all those years. At the very least, she just didn't acknowledge him. It was only when his wife committed suicide that she opened up, and tried to give him support. She insisted that he still owed them, so he couldn't die, but I think everyone in that situation knew that Chunsheng couldn't be swayed by anyone but himself.
As I said, I really liked Gong Li's portrayal of Jiazhen. She was strong for her family because she needed to be, but she was also very attentive to their needs. She never once showed disdain to her daughter for having trouble with listening and speaking, and lovingly kept her promises to her kids even in their deaths (bringing photos of Mantou to Fengxia, and making dumplings for Youqing).
Xu Fengxia
As Jiazhen told Erxi, Fengxia had a hard life as well. While Fugui had been captured in the war, Fengxia had fallen ill and was then unable to speak and was hard of hearing. She'd be bullied by the local kids but couldn't do much to protect herself, or even cry for help.
As the older child, she had to take on some of the caretaker responsibilities for Youqing. Her relationship with her brother was quite deep.
As she grew into a young adult, Fengxia was still very filial, but very shy. That being said, her parents could tell when she was a little interested in her suitor, Wan Erxi.
Perhaps it was because Erxi also had a disability, so she felt more comfortable with him, that he wouldn't look down on her.
Unfortunately, Fengxia did not have adequate help during childbirth and died due to excessive bleeding. Honestly, I became more anxious as she was getting closer to giving birth. From this kind of story, I wouldn't be surprised if such a tragic thing happened to Fengxia, but I was hanging on a bit of hope that Fengxia would make it out okay :(
Xu Youqing
Xu Youqing was like your average kid. However, he was also very protective of his family, and wouldn't have any of it when his sister was being bullied. Unfortunately, he was vastly outnumbered when he was trying to fight them, and could only get back at the bullies in his own way.
Through Youqing, Fugui learned that his kids had their own ways of expressive their love. He tried to make it up to his son, but Youqing wouldn't bite until his mom gave him the go-ahead to prank his dad.
Youqing was called by his classmates to go to school to prepare for the District Chief's visit. Youqing and Fengxia were sleeping so soundly that Jiazhen didn't want to wake him up, but Fugui figured it would look better on them if they sent Youqing to school.
Youqing was sleeping when a car drove through a wall and ran him over. That series of scenes was such a shock as it came out of nowhere, but I think that is likely how most news of death comes. Youqing had gone to school and no one would've thought that he wouldn't return. Fugui and Jiazhen trying to see their son one last time was such a heartbreaking moment. They needed to see their son to reconcile in their own ways, but I suppose the villagers didn't want them to see their son covered in blood.
Chunsheng
Chunsheng was a fellow puppeter that Fugui worked with. They'd been captured by soldiers together, so you could say they'd been through a lot together. Since the time we met him, we realized that he had a fascination with cars, and really wanted to drive them.
Fugui lost contact with Chunsheng since they were supposed to return to town together but Chunsheng was nowhere to be found. It was only at Youqing's funeral was it revealed that not only was Chusheng the District Chief, but he was the one who crashed into Youqing.
Obviously Chunsheng carried that guilt throughout his life. He'd visit the Xu family regularly and give them gifts. Apparently he was branded negatively by the government and was thus almost certainly condemned to a bad life. His wife had already committed suicide and it was clear that he intended to too, which was why he decided to try to atone with the Xu family once and for all.
Seeing the urgency in the situation, Jiazhen tried to find a way to keep him alive. She recognized that Chunsheng was still guilty, and tried to use that guilt to keep him alive, because she knew nothing else would. However, I think it's doubtful that Chunsheng didn't commit suicide.
Long'er
I was so surprised to see Ni Dahong in a film this old. In any case, Long'er had a small role. Long'er gambled with Fugui regularly, and I think it was implied that he was aiming to get the house. After he earned the house, Long'er said he wouldn't gamble again (presumably because he already had what he wanted).
I don't think Long'er was a bad man, but he was just ambitious. When Fugui came to borrow money to start a business, Long'er instead gave him the puppets. I wouldn't see this as a slight. I think Long'er recognized that Fugui had an interest and a talent for artistry and felt that these beautiful puppets would be more useful in the hands of someone who knew how to use them.
After the Communists came into power, Long'er refused to give up his estate and instead burned it down. I think this proved that Long'er really just wanted the house.
As Long'er was taken away to be executed, he saw Fugui in the crowd, which obviously shocked him. Fugui rushed home to talk to Jiazhen. He said that if he hadn't lost the house to Long'er, that would've been him who'd be executed for refusing to give up his estate, which is obviously a very scary thought.
Lao Chuan
Lao Chuan was a Kuomintang soldier who showed the ropes to Fugui and Chunsheng. He'd cover for them when they were clumsy or leaving their stuff around. Lao Chuan said that he was only fighting so that he could find his brother, so it made sense that he was more chill about the patriotism.
Chunsheng and Fugui had been raiding the dead soldiers' bodies for warm clothes and one of the jackets happened to be Lao Chuan's brother's. Thus, Chunsheng, Fugui, and Lao Chuan went looking through the dead bodies trying to find Lao Chuan. Lao Chuan said that his brother looked exactly like him, though I'm not sure if that meant they were twins or just brothers who looked very similar.
While looking through the bodies, Lao Chuan was shot dead, and Chunsheng and Fugui were unable to save him. But hopefully he was with his brother :(
Mayor Niu
Mayor Niu was a practical man. He was acting on behalf of the government but he obviously knew how the locals lived on an intimate level and wasn't super hard on them. For example, he'd directed his workers to collect the wire on Fugui's puppets for metal, but after Jiazhen suggested Fugui putting on puppet shows, Mayor Niu agreed that it was a good idea and left the puppets alone.
Mayor Niu also helped to matchmake for Fengxia, and we saw that Fugui and Jiazhen did really treat Mayor Niu's family like friends.
In the end, Mayor Niu said that he was going to be taken in for questioning. This was brought up when Jiazhen saw Mayor Niu's wife crying. Mayor Niu insisted he'd be fine, but obviously Fugui and Jiazhen were very worried.
Wan Erxi
Wan Erxi was a bit shady at first, but we later saw how Fengxia warmed up to him. He did seem overly patriotic, but as we saw him more as a family member, I think it was safe to assume that he'd done it out of protection like everyone else, and he really did put his own family first.
In the end, it seemed that he had a very close relationship with Jiazhen and Fugui, and they went to visit Fengxia and Youqing's graves together.
Mantou
Mantou was Fengxia and Erxi's son. By the end of the movie, he was a curious kid but still a good kid.
Themes
Politics
After I watched Farewell My Concubine, I started to notice that most great Chinese will include politics as a major backdrop of their stories. In particular, there was so much political turmoil from the 40s to the 60s that it's almost impossible to tell any story from this period of time without mentioning the political backdrop.
I was reading a Reddit discussion post about whether Chinese people discuss politics. The answer is of course yes, but one of the comments really resonated with me, and I think it applies to this story very well. Many Chinese people prioritize their families over politics. In order to keep their family safe, they'll keep quiet about ideologies they disagree with and keep their heads down.
In this movie, Fugui and Jiazhen were never particularly patriotic people, but they had to appear overly patriotic to not stick out. They had murals of Mao in their house, a framed photo of him, but knowing them as people, they were not patriotic at all.
I don't think that Erxi and Fengxia were particularly patriotic as well. Erxi seemed a bit overly enthusiastic at first, paintint the murals all over the Xu family's home. However, over the rest of the movie, we saw at times that it was just a front. For example, when Fengxia was in labour, Erxi snuck out a doctor who'd been confined under the guise that he was going to teach him a lesson, implying that Erxi didn't care as much for his imprisonment as he did for his own family.
Survival
This was probably the main theme of the movie. My interpretation was that live was already something that everyone had to fight for, so it can't be so easily thrown away. I think this ideology is something that many Chinese people believe in. That is why so many people blindly subscribe to political ideas without thinking so hard about them. They care more about having a comfortable life for their family than something as abstract as "the country."
As mentioned, Fugui learned the value of life and how difficult it was to stay alive after he lost his entire family wealth, and also when he got captured in the Civil War.
Fugui and Jiazhen's kids both died very early on but they continued living for their children's sake, and for the sake of Erxi and Mantou.
Puppet box
This was more of a visual theme, but the puppet box came to represent different stages of the Xu family's life.
At the beginning, the puppet box represented Fugui starting from the bottom. He went to Long'er to start a business but instead was given a set of tools.
During the war, Fugui held on to the box because he was thinking of his family. When he returned home, he'd need the puppets to continue caring for his family, but he'd need to make sure that he did return home.
During the Cultural Revolution, Fugui had to get rid of his puppets as they were one of the four olds. It became an empty box.
And at the very end of the movie, Fugui put the chicks in the box. The chicks were representative of a hopeful new beginning. Fugui told the story to Mantou about how the chickens would turn into geese, which would turn into sheep, and then turn into oxen. Basically, Fugui wanted to encourage Mantou to keep moving forward and growing.
Overall
It took me a bit longer than normal to write this because it is a sprawling story. It didn't make sense to explain the plot in detail as it wasn't what actually happened, but how they made the Xu family feeel that was more important.
Anyway, I really liked this movie because of how "Chinese" it was. The Chinese diaspora are recognized as model minorities, but it is this ideology of "keeping quiet to stay safe" that has kept them alive this long, through generations of different dynasties and now even different government systems.
In addition, the acting and the pace of story telling was superb. I was rapt at all times and of course I was sobbing when the Xu family went through their struggles. I definitely recommend this movie.
I would recommend this movie, but prepare the tissues. There is something about Chinese parents that always hits deep and this movie brought that kind of emotion.
Spoilers.
Story
This could technically be classified as a slice-of-life story. I'd say that Xu Fugui was the main character. In the beginning, he was a rich young master who gambled away his entire family's wealth. He then found work as a puppeter, was briefly captured by both sides in the Chinese Civil War, and eventually returned home where he continued being a puppeter but also helped his wife with her job refilling people's water supply.
Xu Fugui and his wife Jiazhen had two children, Fengxia and Youqing. Fengxia became mute and mostly deaf after a childhood illness. Youqing died after being run over by a car (coincidentally by Chunsheng, Fugui's fellow puppeter). Fengxia grew to adulthood and married a man called Wan Erxi. They eventually had a child but Fengxia died due to excessive blood loss, being taken care of by inexperienced medical students.
At the end of the movie, the family unit is made up of Xu Fugui, Jiazhen, Erxi, and Mantou (Erxi and Fengxia's child). After the family visited Fengxia and Youqing's graves, the ending credits rolled over a scene of them having a meal.
I liked this story because it was subdued. Yes, the Xu family ran into tragedy after tragedy, but I wouldn't say that any particular person was a villain. Everyone was trying to get by on their own terms, and the Xu family was just dealt a very poor hand.
I also cried several times during this movie. I couldn't stop crying when Youqing died. Fugui and Jiazhen trying to see their child on the stretcher was such a heartbreaker. And then when they expressed their guilt the first time at Youqing's grave, I just couldn't stop crying. Youqing's death was not their fault, but Jiazhen couldn't help but try to grasp at straws, thinking of ways that she could've stopped this from happening. I think one of th reasons I cried so hard was because this family was so relatable. Of course, I am far more privileged than them. But we'd been with them through several stages in their family history, and I grew particularly fond of their family bond.
Production
Acting
The acting was terrific. When I first saw Ge You I was like "...this guy is awfully familiar," and I realized he was the rich patron from Farewell My Concubine. He played a more despicable guy in that movie. In this movie, he was pretty douchey at first, but he was humbled soon after, and I really came to sympathize with him.
As for Gong Li, I love how she's never just reduced to "the pretty woman." Yes, she's obviously very beautiful, but in her roles, it's always her personality that takes center stage and her looks come second. During this movie, I only associated Jiazhen with her persistent and fiercely maternal character.
These two actors really did a great job in this movie. A+++.
Characters
Xu Fugui
Early on in the movie, Fugui was humbled. I think he didn't realize that he could ever gamble away his family wealth. It struck him as a surprise when the gambling parlour told him he no longer had anything to gamble, and his wife left him with their daughter and unborn child.
Fugui was forced out of his home with his mother, and struggled as a street vendor. Even in the cold snowy winter, Fugui had to set up a stall. I think this experience really taught Fugui that staying alive was not as easy as he thought.
When his family returned, Fugui now had something to live for again. He had his wife and two kids to care for. He was still poor, but he was considerably happier than when he was a rich young master.
Being captured by both the Kuomintang and Communist forces was another experience that taught Fugui the meaning of life. He and Chunsheng could've died so easily, and it would be a waste if he didn't live it to the fullest.
For the rest of the movie, I think Fugui tried his best to be a good dad and a good caregiver. He did puppeting shows for a while, but they'd gotten kind of old and also the Communist regime was trying to get rid of old traditions. I'm not sure if Fugui found any other job, but he did also help his wife with her water supply job from time to time.
I really liked watching Fugui's journey. I guess it took losing everything for him to really understand what was important. Of course, his family was his #1. But I also felt that he valued life in general. Towards the end of the movie when Fugui was older, I felt that he was generally a kinder man, even to acquaintances.
Jiazhen
Jiazhen was a very protective mother. When she was having her second child, Jiazhen realized that staying Fugui was going to be bad for her and the kids. She couldn't rely on him, and more importantly, he might even be a liability, so it was better off to just raise the kids on her own.
I'm not sure how Jiazhen heard of her husband's situation, but I guess through the grapevine, she figured out that he was probably a changed man. When they first reunited, he listened a lot more, was more accommodating, and was more understanding.
As Fengxia and Youqing were growing up, we saw that Jiazhen was always very defensive of them. When Youqing dumped his noodles all over the bully, Jiazhen defended Youqing. First, she just didn't approve of Fugui hitting their kid, but second, she acknowledged that Youqing was doing it to protect his sister.
Jiazhen also had a great relationship with the kids, and knew how to cheer them up. Youqing was obviously mad at his dad for disciplining him even though he was standing up for his sister, so Jiazhen gave him the ammo to play a prank on his own dad.
Jiazhen was unable to forgive Chunsheng for kiling Youqing all those years. At the very least, she just didn't acknowledge him. It was only when his wife committed suicide that she opened up, and tried to give him support. She insisted that he still owed them, so he couldn't die, but I think everyone in that situation knew that Chunsheng couldn't be swayed by anyone but himself.
As I said, I really liked Gong Li's portrayal of Jiazhen. She was strong for her family because she needed to be, but she was also very attentive to their needs. She never once showed disdain to her daughter for having trouble with listening and speaking, and lovingly kept her promises to her kids even in their deaths (bringing photos of Mantou to Fengxia, and making dumplings for Youqing).
Xu Fengxia
As Jiazhen told Erxi, Fengxia had a hard life as well. While Fugui had been captured in the war, Fengxia had fallen ill and was then unable to speak and was hard of hearing. She'd be bullied by the local kids but couldn't do much to protect herself, or even cry for help.
As the older child, she had to take on some of the caretaker responsibilities for Youqing. Her relationship with her brother was quite deep.
As she grew into a young adult, Fengxia was still very filial, but very shy. That being said, her parents could tell when she was a little interested in her suitor, Wan Erxi.
Perhaps it was because Erxi also had a disability, so she felt more comfortable with him, that he wouldn't look down on her.
Unfortunately, Fengxia did not have adequate help during childbirth and died due to excessive bleeding. Honestly, I became more anxious as she was getting closer to giving birth. From this kind of story, I wouldn't be surprised if such a tragic thing happened to Fengxia, but I was hanging on a bit of hope that Fengxia would make it out okay :(
Xu Youqing
Xu Youqing was like your average kid. However, he was also very protective of his family, and wouldn't have any of it when his sister was being bullied. Unfortunately, he was vastly outnumbered when he was trying to fight them, and could only get back at the bullies in his own way.
Through Youqing, Fugui learned that his kids had their own ways of expressive their love. He tried to make it up to his son, but Youqing wouldn't bite until his mom gave him the go-ahead to prank his dad.
Youqing was called by his classmates to go to school to prepare for the District Chief's visit. Youqing and Fengxia were sleeping so soundly that Jiazhen didn't want to wake him up, but Fugui figured it would look better on them if they sent Youqing to school.
Youqing was sleeping when a car drove through a wall and ran him over. That series of scenes was such a shock as it came out of nowhere, but I think that is likely how most news of death comes. Youqing had gone to school and no one would've thought that he wouldn't return. Fugui and Jiazhen trying to see their son one last time was such a heartbreaking moment. They needed to see their son to reconcile in their own ways, but I suppose the villagers didn't want them to see their son covered in blood.
Chunsheng
Chunsheng was a fellow puppeter that Fugui worked with. They'd been captured by soldiers together, so you could say they'd been through a lot together. Since the time we met him, we realized that he had a fascination with cars, and really wanted to drive them.
Fugui lost contact with Chunsheng since they were supposed to return to town together but Chunsheng was nowhere to be found. It was only at Youqing's funeral was it revealed that not only was Chusheng the District Chief, but he was the one who crashed into Youqing.
Obviously Chunsheng carried that guilt throughout his life. He'd visit the Xu family regularly and give them gifts. Apparently he was branded negatively by the government and was thus almost certainly condemned to a bad life. His wife had already committed suicide and it was clear that he intended to too, which was why he decided to try to atone with the Xu family once and for all.
Seeing the urgency in the situation, Jiazhen tried to find a way to keep him alive. She recognized that Chunsheng was still guilty, and tried to use that guilt to keep him alive, because she knew nothing else would. However, I think it's doubtful that Chunsheng didn't commit suicide.
Long'er
I was so surprised to see Ni Dahong in a film this old. In any case, Long'er had a small role. Long'er gambled with Fugui regularly, and I think it was implied that he was aiming to get the house. After he earned the house, Long'er said he wouldn't gamble again (presumably because he already had what he wanted).
I don't think Long'er was a bad man, but he was just ambitious. When Fugui came to borrow money to start a business, Long'er instead gave him the puppets. I wouldn't see this as a slight. I think Long'er recognized that Fugui had an interest and a talent for artistry and felt that these beautiful puppets would be more useful in the hands of someone who knew how to use them.
After the Communists came into power, Long'er refused to give up his estate and instead burned it down. I think this proved that Long'er really just wanted the house.
As Long'er was taken away to be executed, he saw Fugui in the crowd, which obviously shocked him. Fugui rushed home to talk to Jiazhen. He said that if he hadn't lost the house to Long'er, that would've been him who'd be executed for refusing to give up his estate, which is obviously a very scary thought.
Lao Chuan
Lao Chuan was a Kuomintang soldier who showed the ropes to Fugui and Chunsheng. He'd cover for them when they were clumsy or leaving their stuff around. Lao Chuan said that he was only fighting so that he could find his brother, so it made sense that he was more chill about the patriotism.
Chunsheng and Fugui had been raiding the dead soldiers' bodies for warm clothes and one of the jackets happened to be Lao Chuan's brother's. Thus, Chunsheng, Fugui, and Lao Chuan went looking through the dead bodies trying to find Lao Chuan. Lao Chuan said that his brother looked exactly like him, though I'm not sure if that meant they were twins or just brothers who looked very similar.
While looking through the bodies, Lao Chuan was shot dead, and Chunsheng and Fugui were unable to save him. But hopefully he was with his brother :(
Mayor Niu
Mayor Niu was a practical man. He was acting on behalf of the government but he obviously knew how the locals lived on an intimate level and wasn't super hard on them. For example, he'd directed his workers to collect the wire on Fugui's puppets for metal, but after Jiazhen suggested Fugui putting on puppet shows, Mayor Niu agreed that it was a good idea and left the puppets alone.
Mayor Niu also helped to matchmake for Fengxia, and we saw that Fugui and Jiazhen did really treat Mayor Niu's family like friends.
In the end, Mayor Niu said that he was going to be taken in for questioning. This was brought up when Jiazhen saw Mayor Niu's wife crying. Mayor Niu insisted he'd be fine, but obviously Fugui and Jiazhen were very worried.
Wan Erxi
Wan Erxi was a bit shady at first, but we later saw how Fengxia warmed up to him. He did seem overly patriotic, but as we saw him more as a family member, I think it was safe to assume that he'd done it out of protection like everyone else, and he really did put his own family first.
In the end, it seemed that he had a very close relationship with Jiazhen and Fugui, and they went to visit Fengxia and Youqing's graves together.
Mantou
Mantou was Fengxia and Erxi's son. By the end of the movie, he was a curious kid but still a good kid.
Themes
Politics
After I watched Farewell My Concubine, I started to notice that most great Chinese will include politics as a major backdrop of their stories. In particular, there was so much political turmoil from the 40s to the 60s that it's almost impossible to tell any story from this period of time without mentioning the political backdrop.
I was reading a Reddit discussion post about whether Chinese people discuss politics. The answer is of course yes, but one of the comments really resonated with me, and I think it applies to this story very well. Many Chinese people prioritize their families over politics. In order to keep their family safe, they'll keep quiet about ideologies they disagree with and keep their heads down.
In this movie, Fugui and Jiazhen were never particularly patriotic people, but they had to appear overly patriotic to not stick out. They had murals of Mao in their house, a framed photo of him, but knowing them as people, they were not patriotic at all.
I don't think that Erxi and Fengxia were particularly patriotic as well. Erxi seemed a bit overly enthusiastic at first, paintint the murals all over the Xu family's home. However, over the rest of the movie, we saw at times that it was just a front. For example, when Fengxia was in labour, Erxi snuck out a doctor who'd been confined under the guise that he was going to teach him a lesson, implying that Erxi didn't care as much for his imprisonment as he did for his own family.
Survival
This was probably the main theme of the movie. My interpretation was that live was already something that everyone had to fight for, so it can't be so easily thrown away. I think this ideology is something that many Chinese people believe in. That is why so many people blindly subscribe to political ideas without thinking so hard about them. They care more about having a comfortable life for their family than something as abstract as "the country."
As mentioned, Fugui learned the value of life and how difficult it was to stay alive after he lost his entire family wealth, and also when he got captured in the Civil War.
Fugui and Jiazhen's kids both died very early on but they continued living for their children's sake, and for the sake of Erxi and Mantou.
Puppet box
This was more of a visual theme, but the puppet box came to represent different stages of the Xu family's life.
At the beginning, the puppet box represented Fugui starting from the bottom. He went to Long'er to start a business but instead was given a set of tools.
During the war, Fugui held on to the box because he was thinking of his family. When he returned home, he'd need the puppets to continue caring for his family, but he'd need to make sure that he did return home.
During the Cultural Revolution, Fugui had to get rid of his puppets as they were one of the four olds. It became an empty box.
And at the very end of the movie, Fugui put the chicks in the box. The chicks were representative of a hopeful new beginning. Fugui told the story to Mantou about how the chickens would turn into geese, which would turn into sheep, and then turn into oxen. Basically, Fugui wanted to encourage Mantou to keep moving forward and growing.
Overall
It took me a bit longer than normal to write this because it is a sprawling story. It didn't make sense to explain the plot in detail as it wasn't what actually happened, but how they made the Xu family feeel that was more important.
Anyway, I really liked this movie because of how "Chinese" it was. The Chinese diaspora are recognized as model minorities, but it is this ideology of "keeping quiet to stay safe" that has kept them alive this long, through generations of different dynasties and now even different government systems.
In addition, the acting and the pace of story telling was superb. I was rapt at all times and of course I was sobbing when the Xu family went through their struggles. I definitely recommend this movie.