Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2005)

Original title

千里走单骑

Directed by

Yasuo Furuhata, Zhang Yimou

Genre

drama film

Country

People's Republic of China, Japan

Runtime

1h 47m

Rated

U

Rating

7.1 of 10 from 95 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An aging Japanese father named Gouichi Takata has been estranged from his son for years. When he learns his son has terminal liver cancer, he travels to a remote part of China to film a traditional opera for his son. He hopes this gesture will bring them some final reconciliation.

poignantslow-burnmelancholicreflectivevisually quietheartfeltunderstatedgentle

What happens

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (simplified Chinese: 千里走单骑; traditional Chinese: 千里走單騎; pinyin: Qiān Lǐ Zǒu Dān Qí; Japanese: 単騎, 千里を走る) is a 2005 drama film directed by Zhang Yimou and Yasuo Furuhata, and starring Ken Takakura. It premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on 22 October 2005 and was released in China on 22 December. Written by Zou Jingzhi, the film tells the story of Gouichi Takata (Takakura), an aging Japanese father who, ever since his wife died, has not been in good terms with his son. When he learns that his son has been diagnosed as having possibly terminal liver cancer, he decides to travel to Yunnan province in China to film in his son's place Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, a traditional item in the local nuo opera (傩戏), on which his son is a leading scholar. The father hopes that, by doing so, he might finally gain his son's forgiveness. The title of the film is an allusion to the fabled story of Guan Yu's perilous solo journey to reunite with his sworn brother and lord Liu Bei, as told in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It is a story about brotherly love and loyalty much told in Chinese folklore and operas. The film draws a parallel between the folk tale and Takata's quest to fulfill his son's wish. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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