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To Live

I must admit, I was less than excited at the prospect of seeing another historical “period-piece”.  Most I have seen have left me less than awe-struck, and carry little weight or importance other than a portrayal of life in a different era.  “To Live” was an exception to the rule, to say the least.

I found myself immediately immersed into a world I had never seen and could never imagine.  An early 1940’s, poverty struck China.  A world ruled by the few elite rich lords under what amounts to a feudal system.  It is something read about in history class, but to see it first hand in such beautiful detail is an entirely different—and moving—experience.

The audience is introduced to Fugui, a young man with a serious gambling problem.  His family, once prominent and wealthy, barely has anything left but their ancestral family home where he resides with his father, mother, wife and child.  Fugui, against his wife’s wishes, heads out “one last time” to the gambling halls, in the hopes of settling his debt.  He quickly loses everything.  His house, his father, his wife, and his status in one fell swoop. 

Fugui must then start his life over as a common pauper hawking street wares, struggling to care for his ill mother.  As he settles into his new life, he slowly climbs the proverbial ladder becoming somewhat successful and making ends meet by putting on musical puppet-shows for extra income, while the Chinese Revolution sweeps across the country.  Eventually, the revolution catches up with Fugui and he finds himself swept up in its current as it is billed as a revolution for the commoner and the lower class. 

Chairman Mao rises to power, Communism takes hold, and optimism runs unbridled.  For a while, society seems to improve, an egalitarian utopia emerges, but it is not to last.  Society implodes on itself as accusations of disloyalty to the Communist party run rampant, and everyone of the old regime is imprisoned.  Society begins to fall apart as Chairman Mao’s programs begin to crumble and people, including Fugui, begin to see the effects and consequences of the untamed and unrealistic enthusiasm, and the loss of knowledge.

The film however does not end without hope.  There are several allusions to rebirth, and the rebuilding of Chinese society, and a better future to come after the fall of Communism.  The film ends somewhat abruptly, but only after a poignant metaphor by Fugui that leaves the viewer optimistic after a film filled with so much tradgedy, changing the film from  a story of non-stop tradgedy to a celebration of life and hope for the future.

Under discussion:

The Commitments  (1991)

Once  (2007)

I was skeptical about Once, after reading a very poorly written synopsis.  I was even more skeptical after the first few minutes of the film proved to be shot in first person with a shaky camcorder, with awkward dialogue and Irish accents thicker than the wool sweaters the Irish love so much.  However, I stuck with the film, and after about ten minutes found my ear adjusted to the dialogue, and fell in love with the voyeur-first-person-perspective on the quirky relationship between a vacuum-cleaner-repairman-street-musician and a czech-born-mother-pianist-flower-salesgirl. 

Hansard, plays an anonymous vacuum-repairman whom we meet playing his original songs on the street for change.  His song seems of little siginifance initially, but as the story progresses, the viewer will find his songs (actually, all of the songs), sort of present a subtext to the film, revealing the character's true thoughts and feelings that they are unable to express. 

Musical haters need not fear--there are no show tunes, no choreographed dance sequences involving spinning parasols and impromptu chorus lines, and plenty of dialogue in between tunes.  The music simply serves to fill in the gaps and the thoughts that the characters of Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Czech ex-pat flowergirl).  The relationship and the inability to express their emotions will leave the viewer frustrated, but absolutely captivated.  My viewing partner found herself screaming at the television "KISS ALREADY!" not even halfway through the film.

I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that Once is a beautiful story about a plausible human male/female relationship, and not like most seen on the silver screen. 

*spoilers below*

Ultimately, Irglova forgoes what she wants and pushes Hansard's character to follow his dreams--something I don't think he would have ever done without her pushing him and giving him the confidence he needed.  I believe Irglova realized she couldn't quite live her dream, and she saw a chance to live it through Hansard, and she had a chance to help him succeed before it was too late--as she seemed to feel it was in her case.  It is a story of a short, necessary relationship at a necessary time. Who can't relate to that?

Anyone who enjoyed "Once" should also check out 1991's The Commitments.  Another Irish film starring real Irish musicians who pursue their dreams.