【電影簡介】

世紀70年代初，與家人音訊隔絕多年的勞改犯陸焉識，因思念心切在一次農場轉遷途中逃跑回家。他的行為給懷有芭蕾舞夢想的女兒丹丹帶來巨大的壓力。女兒想方設法阻止母親馮婉瑜與父親陸焉識相見，結果使夫妻倆近在咫尺，卻只能再次相隔天涯。

文革結束后，陸焉識終于平反回家，卻發現家中的一切早已物是人非——女兒丹丹放棄了自己的芭蕾夢想，成為一名普通的女工；而更讓陸焉識深受打擊的是，他深愛的妻子馮婉瑜，因患病已然不再認識眼前的他。深厚的感情、生活的變故，迫使陸焉識做出了對他來說最荒誕卻又最合理的人生選擇。

【音頻文本】

"Coming Home", or "Gui Lai", is more than just a man's struggle to come home, it also marks director ZhangYimou's return to his creative sweet spot, and more importantly, a rebooted quest with a new companion. How far the couple would go depends on the market reaction to their first joint venture.

"Coming Home" is adapted from the last 30 pages of Chinese writer Yan Geling's novel "Lu Fan Yan Shi". It tracks the life of ex-criminal, Lu Yanshi, as he tries desperately to get back to his family. Actor Chen Daoming and actress Gong Li take up most of the screen time and their performances are exemplary.

Yan Geling's original work is set in China between the 1940s and 1970s, with the emphasis on Lu's experience as a prisoner. Zhang Yimou's adaptation, however, shifts the focus to Lu's odyssey in the aftermath of his difficult early life.

It was a time of repentance and rediscovery. People seek reconciliation with their past and struggle to get back to a balanced life of passion and rationality. Despite an outburst of belated laments in the literary circle, most people chose to move on and resumed their lives in a composure of tenacity.

"Coming Home" captures the repercussion of the past, as well as the longing for a better future of Lu's time. While depicting the seemingly insensitive determination to move on, Zhang gave up on his habit of colorful extravaganza - which he used to appeal to the movie market - and instead resorted to his old tricks of modest imagery and restrained emotion - a choice quite fitting to the subject.

His endeavors were not without success. The plain images apparently registered in the hearts of many elderly moviegoers. Even younger men and women - whose knowledge about that part of history mainly derives frombooks and telltales - often have trouble holding back tears in the face of Zhang's instigation.

The return to simplicity also corresponds to Zhang's cooperation with a new partner. "Coming Home" is Zhang's first outing since signing with online video portal Le Vision Pictures, so it will certainly be available on the internet.

This sheds some new light on the future of Chinese art-house films, because they are now given a way to circumvent snobbish Chinese cinema owners. Previously, Chinese art-house films have had limited exposure in cinemas due to lack of spectacle, lucidity and market potential. But now, with the development of online video portals, they can be ready for streaming at the leisure of any willing viewers with an adequate amount of taste.

That's good news for the Chinese film industry in general, but for veteran director Zhang Yimou, there is one problem remaining; Chinese cinema-goers are quickly becoming younger. Not long ago, we've seen the boxoffice success of movies targeted solely at the post 80s and 90s generations. The post 80s group sometimescan respond to Zhang Yimou's appeal, but the 90s generation is a whole different cultural group, and catering to their taste can be a challenge.

On the one hand, the revered director could benefit from the freedom of an online distribution platform. At the same time, however, no distributor can afford to ignore the market demand. So the beginning of Zhang's 15-year contract with Le Vision Pictures may represent a return to form for the director, but it could also mean a prolonged task of adapting himself to the modern times.

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