 Chen Kaige Best known for directing historic epics like Farewell My Concubine and The Emperor and the Assassin, Chen Kaige breaks away from the past with his latest effort. Together, which opens on May 30, tells the story of a violin prodigy and his father's relocation from the sticks of China to Beijing in search of a good teacher, fame, and fortune. The story is touching and sometimes funny, but it also touches on social change in China in a thought-provoking and entertaining manner. It's hard not to be moved by the excellent filmmaking, ace acting, and sweeping musical score. |
GR: Where did the plot of Together come from? CK: Life is something that can always be inspiring. I saw a TV program in which a father and son came from another province and survived in Beijing, almost the same as you see in the movie. The father was very proud of his son, always saying, "My son is going to be number one in the world." The story ended with this sort of tragedy where the son doesn't want to continue. The son decides to turn himself into a businessman. I was very moved. I realized this is reality. This is the son's decision. The father is tearing up, but there was nothing he could do about it. That was the beginning of the process in which we developed a completely different story with our own approach. GR: You have two children now. Did that affect your direction of the father and son story? CK: I'd rather say that I'm inspired by the relationship between my father and me, not the relationship between me and my sons. It's a long story, but we've been through very difficult times. I learned how to love from my father, really, and my wife can prove that. If I didn't know that much about relationships between fathers and sons, I don't think I could have done this movie. GR: Music is so integral to the film. When did you decide on what pieces you were going to include? CK: That was done right after the script was finished. I worked closely with my music editor. Obviously, I had some ideas regarding which pieces of music would be cut into the film a long time before we started to shoot. GR: Was it liberating or more challenging to work on a movie that's not a historical epic? CK: It's easier. To do a period piece you pay a lot of attention to the customs, wardrobe, and whatever. But to do a movie like this, the hassle is that we need to pay a lot of money to have a picture of Marilyn Monroe‹that kind of thing. NBA shots are very expensive. GR: Your older films were very tragic, yet Together has a somewhat happy ending. Have you changed your view on filmmaking? CK: I used to be very nervous because I did big films, I didn't have a chance to look up to see how blue the sky could be or look down to see how beautiful the flowers could be. I think I've changed. I've made myself a very happy husband and father. I really enjoy my life. The change is good for me. I do want to say I don't believe that this film has a cheap happy ending. I just felt that the father and son deserved to be with each other at the end of the film. I like to be idealistic. The son should give up the concert to see his father at the train station. The other thing I want to say is that the Chinese people will eventually learn how to be happy. Because of the dark history, the miserable things that have happened in the last 100 years, we have almost forgotten how to be happy. Now along with the reform and huge progress the Chinese people have made in the last 20 years, we have returned to normal. We are happier than before. You can see that in the film. GR: The movie depicts all of China, the rural and industrial and the rich and poor. CK: I wanted to show the changes taking place in China. Some change is for good; some is for worse. It's very important. I don't want China to be lost again politically, like in the past. I think the Chinese people now live in fear that they will lose their opportunity to make themselves millionaires. That's economic fear, I guess. I'm not just trying to make a very sweet film that will make people cry. It's not like that. There are some very important messages. GR: In the film, moving to the city and being successful does not guarantee happiness. Is this a reference to the industrialization of China? CK: Our traditional cultural values have been destroyed for one reason or another. We used to believe in idealism. Now we believe in materialism. People are seeking success and money. Fame and fortune is the goal for almost everyone in China. It's good and it's bad. The good news is that we're out of the shadow of the fake socialism. Now we're just looking forward to something that's unknown. It's a very tricky moment for many Chinese people. |