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"To Live" is a film that takes the viewer to urban China around the time of the 1940's. This is around the time that Mao Zedong and the Communist Party will eventually rise as the dominant power of Chinese politics. The story begins with one of the main characters, Fugui, gambling in a local establishment. He will eventually get caught up in the war between the Communists and the Capitalists for the control of China's government. He has recently lost his home due to his gambling debts, so when he arrives back home from the war he finds his children and wife, Jiazhen, living in poverty. He is overcome with joy when he first sees his family but, it is immediately followed by grief when he sees the conditions they have been living in during his absence. This soon becomes the main theme that continues throughout the movie; temporary joy followed by deep sorrow. The film does tell a great story but the deeper part of the story is meant to portray the hardships that come with living in Communist China. Without telling too much of the story itself, Fugui and Jiazhen live out their lives under the control of the Communist Party playing out this central theme of joy followed by sorrow. They are repeatedly told by Communist Party officers that if they work hard for the regime then the regime will essentially provide them with happiness for their hard work. There are even moments in the film where both of the main characters appear as though they are genuinely happy. However, as stated previously, every one of these fleeting moments of happiness are followed by some dramatic situation that leave the main characters in despair once again. The purpose of this repeated turmoil is utilized by the filmmakers to demonstrate how appalling and cruel, life within Communist China actually is. That the Communist Party will promise Chinese citizens with prosperity but the end result is only more suffering.

While the story might not vibrate with some, this is the entry point in adulthood for this particular director. Starting with his big screen debut he has struggled to reach a voice, a certain signature every important director has in order to have his work recognizable. From a first movie presented as a collage of different famous works and styles he finally reaches the ability to control the composition of a scene or master the use of light to bring a certain depth to a flat screen, thus opening the way for his future works. Too bad that he shows a turn to the commercial side of the cinematography in his last works. But for this one: Well done!Contact me with Questions, Comments or Suggestions ryitfork @ bitmail.ch

Wow, I see a lot of good movies in school…Anyways, To Live is a fantastic depiction of life in China during communism. Although the entrance and duration of the Communist Revolution creates a serious atmosphere in this film, there are still some funny moments due to the well developed characters. In my opinion, Fugui who is a simple and funny man was the best character. He is naturally the head of his family (being father and husband) and was an entertainer during the tumultuous times of war. A very invaluable asset to the movie is his possession of these elaborate Chinese puppets. They are very extravagant and graceful, and he uses them to put on puppet shows. He breathes life into their characters by shrieking their dialogues in a somewhat off-keyed classical tune which would be horrible if the whole intent of these displays weren't for arousing laughter. I loved how those scenes in the movie were an integration of tradition and comic-relief. Therefore, I enjoyed the experience although it carried some tragedy (communism is clearly no good- a purely utopian concept). Therefore, I advise everyone to watch it.