Beautiful film with the beautiful Gong Li about a pottery artist who takes the train twice a week to meet with mild mannered poet and the more brazen Vet she crosses path with on the train. If I could tell you more than that I would. This is a confused and confusing film that jumps through time and space with a bit too much abandon. The film is strangely compelling because its well acted and because it is so beautiful to watch. Sequences transpire that are absolutely stunning, but at the same time they play like oblique TV commercials. I like the film on some level even though I know I shouldn't. in all honesty its the sort of thing I'll probably pick up on DVD again since it can be had for around the cost of a rental, and I'd like to see it again to see if I'm daft and whether a wee hours viewing and having to switch vcds made a difference in my opinion.

Poetic, delicate, subtle. European film with Oriental irisations. Story about love and desire, about power of images and the honey of illusions. Cercles of symbols and chimeric gestures. Time like far lake and the past like only form of present. And a feminine Adonis between two different worlds.The character of Li Gong is a magnificent miniature not of a sensitive age or ambiguous feelings but for a way to define the existence. A way to explore each miracle as part of a sacred refuge, a river-trip. The train and the travels to loved friend, the poems and the house like essential sanctuary of a wonderful past, splendid for his ambiguity, the talks with realistic, sarcastic man for who the dreams are only offals of lost age and Zhou Yu- a pretty prey.For this film, the gestures or words are pieces of intense atmosphere. The search of truth is element of personal religion, the love- delicate shard of beautiful pot. The answers- breath of wind in a spring day. And the time- huge shadow of a way.

I found this movie very beautiful and intriguing, mainly the cinematography, the soundtrack and the wonderful performance of cast with Gong Li, Tony Leung Kafai and Hanglei Sun. Unfortunately, the non-linear screenplay, associated to the difference with the Western cultures and language and the unusual names of the locations, made difficult for me to understand some parts of the story, and I had to rewind the DVD. The mysterious character of Xiu (Gong Li), the narrator, is not well explained and I believe she might have imagined the love story while reading the poem "Zhou Yu's Train" of Chen Qing, with Zhou Yu being her alter-ego. The last scene, disclosing the lake hidden by the fog, is fantastic. I am not sure whether the death of Zhou Yu in the bus accident is another metaphor. I intend to see this movie again in a near future, trying to understand it deeper and reevaluate my vote, which is presently six.Title (Brazil): "O Trem de Zhou Yu"("Zhou Yu's Train")

ZHOU YU'S TRAIN is the type of film that may require repeat viewing in order for the casual viewer to take in all the thia story has to offer: if you blink -- much like the effect of the quickly passing scenery out the window of any train -- you might miss a plot line, a character moment, or a perspective that would better be explored, as the climax to this evenly and perhaps-too-leisurely-paced romance shows. Zhou Yu (the lovely Gong Li) plays a young painter who falls in love with a shy poet, Chen Ching (played by Tony Leung Ka-Fai). Twice a week, Zhou Yu rides the train to be with him. On the train, however, a humorous veterinarian (played Sun Honglei) sees, approaches, and flirts with her. While she initially resists his desire, she eventually gives in to an indescribable curiosity which forces all of them to examine their various roles in one another's lives. While one could hardly argue with the notion that there are parts of TRAIN that appear uneven and, at least, forced, the film still manages to deliver a perspective worth a single view: who does Zhou Yu love and why? Torn between these two men for wildly conflicting reasons, she can't make sense of her dilemma. Instead of running from one of them, she inevitably chooses aspects of both for her affection, but this choice only forces her further and further into confusion.As a result, TRAIN explores more than one budding relationship, making the film as uneven as it is unpredictable. In fact, one could make the argument that what truly is transpiring here cannot be fully understood and appreciated until the film's final few moments .. but even then the viewer is left with many unanswered questions. Is that the message of the film, that life brings more questions than answers? Or is it merely a comment on how Zhou Yu chose to live her life? Or is it something even more?Regardless, what is clear is Zhou's desire to seek the answers to questions of the various loves in her life (two men, friendship, art, etc.), and the narrative clearly appears to be a device through which an exploration of the female mind and heart is undertaken. Whether you reach a destination is left entirely up to the viewer. Of course, the best scenery is Gong Li. She plays even utter confusion with beautiful conviction. If you're a fan of her work, then TRAIN is definitely for you.