To Live
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Plot Summary:
Historical drama centered around one family and the drastically changing times in 20th century China. Much living ensues...
Opinion:
"To Live" by visionary Chinese director Zhang Yi-Mou is a historical drama covering 40+ years of Chinese history, chronicling the life of a single Chinese family as they live through the traumatic events in the 20th century, from the fall of the Republic of China and the rise of Communist China, through the "Great Leap Forward" and the Cultural Revolution. "To Live" is one of the best movies to come out of China in the last ten years, and it's historical scope will, in fact, make it
more interesting to foreigners who undoubtedly aren't as familiar with some of the major events in Chinese history. (For example, you've probably heard of Chairman Mao Tse-Tung in a history class somewhere, but "To Live" gives you the inside look on what exactly his place in Red China was... Plus, it explains the basis behind the ongoing conflict between China and Taiwan.) The movie skips over the Great Famine, but every other major recent event in Chinese history is covered.
"To Live" is not a documentary, though. It is an intimate drama where every large-scale event in Chinese history is seen through the eyes of a single family, and we see the personal impact each major cultural change has on their lives. The title "To Live", while simplistic in nature, accurately reflects the essence of the movie, as Fugui, Jiazhen, their two kids, and their friends and associates must find a way to live through each traumatic change in their lives. While fictional, the struggles of the Xu family are a tribute to the many families in poorer countries worldwide who face external and internal family problems, yet find a way to 'live' on. "To Live" is, in my opinion, one of the most "pro-family" movies produced by any country in the last decade (more in the In-Depth Analysis below).
What "To Live" is
not, however, is an 'anti-communist' movie. It is, in fact, one of the more nuanced and authentic portrayals of what living in a communist country is like, allowing the viewer to see the good and the bad. (My favorite supporting character in the entire movie--Mr. Niu--happens to be a hard-line communist. More on him below...) It's easy to see the ideals on which the communist system of government is based, yet also easy to see it's failings. I consider it to be very balanced and fair, with no obvious indication Zhang was intent on creating a blatant and biased attack on China's government. (China's government, however, doesn't happen to agree--and "To Live" has been banned in mainland China. Draw your own conclusion...)
"To Live" is not quite as good as
"Raise the Red Lantern" purely as a
movie--either in terms of artistic merit or a unique story, but the historical scope and 'pro-family' message makes it, in my opinion, required viewing for any Westerner who wants to 'really' know what life in China in the last century was like, from someone on the inside. If you're interested in seeing foreign films at all, "To Live" deserves to be tops on your list.
Content Analysis: (PG-13, 0-0-4-1 on the Baron's scale)
"To Live" is yet another example of the inherent difference between the PG-13 and R ratings. "To Live" is an 'adult' movie in that the themes presented are not 'kid-friendly' and there is a lot of blood and dead bodies. Still, while there is blood (concentrated in a couple of scenes), the movie is not actually all that 'violent' nor is it gratuitous or overly graphic. While it earns the PG-13 rating easily, this is not a movie that I think you'd be ashamed to be found watching if one of the Twelve Apostles came over to your house. BYU International Cinema, in fact, has shown "To Live" unedited almost every year since its release. I respect the need for those inside and outside the Church to keep high standards for movies (including those who don't see PG-13 movies), but I think "To Live" deserves to be seen by all.
[One additional note: one of the bloodier scenes involves a woman giving birth which is (a) realistic, (b) still fairly gross, and (c) gives me more respect for my mom, The Baroness, and womenkind in general for what they have to go through. I'm very thankful that the birth of our son went somewhat more smoothly than the birth in the movie.]
In-depth Analysis:
One of "To Live"'s strengths is its interval view of the principles behind Communism and their merits, while (in my mind) demonstrating clearly that it's the
application of those principles that makes communism unworkable for a country-wide system of government. (Truth be known, the most significant and difficult societal problems in China were only tangentally related to Communism...) Communism has a bad name throughout America (and not without reason), yet it's easy sometimes to forget that the principles behind it are not inherently wrong, nor are 'communists' inherently wicked people. (The socialist principles on which communism is based are similar--but not identical to--the principles behind the United Order and the Law of Consecration lived in the early days of the Latter-Day Saints, and many of the problems that arose were the same. The specific differences between the two, while significant, are beyond the scope of this essay, though. A subject for another time, perhaps...)
The 'face' of communism in "To Live" is Mr. Niu--the town leader. His devotion and faith in the ideals of socialist living are obvious and undying throughout the events of the movie. Mr. Niu is a true communist--and he demonstrates that this is not a bad thing. He devotes himself towards serving others, treating everyone as his equal and does his best to help the community meet their goals and lead happy, peaceful lives. Notice that Mr. Niu is always full of cheer even when (as in his last scene in the movie) things are starting to unravel. If everyone were like Mr. Niu, communism could succeed. Unfortunately, (stating the obvious) not everyone is. Democracy (contrary to popular belief) is not the
best government a country can have--it is frequently inefficient and unwieldy. Yet, it is really the only
workable government--given that mankind will always be susceptible to selfish, authoritarian impulses. Democracy works specifically because it divides up the government functionality enough so that it's hard for selfish authoritarian people to oppress the people severely. A bad president (despite what Democrats circa 2004 would have you believe) cannot mess up things too badly, while a bad king/dictator with no 'checks and balances' can. Democracy saves mankind from themselves, essentially--it's not as easily abused as in Red China where, as "To Live" makes clear, the idealism and selflessness of some is easily exploited by others leading to vast oppression. And, yet, if/when there comes a time where mankind becomes more selfless and 'team-oriented', then a society founding on socialist principles has a chance of success. (Don't count on it before the Second Coming, though...) Despite living in an inherently religion-free society, Mr. Niu is the best example of Christ-like behavior, and remains by far my favorite character in the movie.
I said Red China is a 'religion-free' society, yet as observant viewers can note for themselves in "To Live", that's not entirely accurate... While Chairman Mao and the Chinese communists follow the Marxist dogma that "religion is the opiate of the masses" and should be abandoned, they are also clever enough to know that a 'substitute religion' of sorts can have great benefits for the ruling party. (People need their opium, of course...) And the 'substitute' religious figure? Why, Chairman Mao, himself! Foreign viewers will note the excessive (and often humorous) fixation of Chinese society on Chairman Mao as a "Christ-figure" or a "prophet" of sorts--their all-knowing leader whose goodness and wisdom will lead everyone into a golden age of peace. Latter-Day Saints can easily see the comparison between our modern-day religion and Communist China, where Mao is substituted for Christ in every part of society--the focus of art forms, the name behind all ceremonies and rituals, and even the trendy form of gift-giving. Mao obtained 'minor-deity' status precisely because he got society at large to discount the idea of any other Deity in the universe. Both of the major societal tragedies in 20th century China (the Great Famine and the Cultural Revolution) came about not because of following socialist principles (although socialism made the system easy to abuse), but because of Mao's ego. (The communist leaders of China, in fact, suffered the brunt of the Cultural Revolution's violence, where Mao successfully encouraged the younger generation to rise up and 'overthrow' the "bourgeoisie" ruling class--also demonstrated effectively--if simplistically--in "To Live"). Chinese history remains a mystery to most Westerners (more people died in the Cultural Revolution than in the Holocaust, but you rarely see it mentioned in the same breath--nor do you see Western directors making movies and TV documentaries about it...), but "To Live" having a somewhat wide release outside of China is a good step towards exposing foreign audiences to the realities (good and bad) of life in Communist China.
Lastly, let's discuss the 'pro-family' message of "To Live". Quick quiz: how many of you were surprised when Jiazhen (the mom) left Fugui in the beginning after his night of gambling? Now...how many of you were surprised when she came
back? (Be honest...) Hollywood likes to say that they are not 'anti-family', but Jiazhen would never, ever,
ever have come back in a Hollywood movie. Was it because Jiazhen was a weak-willed person who lets her husband and others walk all over her? Not at all--Jiazhen came back because she cared first and foremost about the
family unit and wasn't going to let the family fail simply because of the poor behavior of her husband. (Compare Jiazhen to Alicia Nash in "A Beautiful Mind"...) She did not excuse nor condone her husband's behavior, though, but made his changing a requirement for her return. Once she did--and he did--the issue was dropped. Notice that Jiazhen didn't use the previous experience as leverage, either by bringing it up again in future arguments nor threatening to leave again if Fugui didn't do this or that. Jiazhen didn't get married to get divorced, in essence, and she was going to do whatever it took to help her family succeed, without constantly looking for an excuse to leave. Was Jiazhen merely martyring herself, though--always sacrificing her happiness for that of others? I don't think so--her joy came from being part of the family unit, despite the very tough and tragic times they lived through. I don't think if given the choice to do it over again, she would have chosen a different family to live with.
Random Notes and Comments:
(1) Occasionally "To Live" has been listed under the English title "Lifetimes"
