Ju Dou (1990): A woman married to the brutal and infertile owner of a dye mill in rural China conceives a boy with her husband's nephew but is forced to raise her son as her husband's heir without revealing his parentage in this circular tragedy. Filmed in glowing technicolour, this tale of romantic and familial love in the face of unbreakable tradition is more universal than its setting. (7.7)
Directors: Fengliang Yang, Yimou Zhang
Stars: Li Gong, Wei Li and Baotian Li
Language: Mandarin (w/ English subtitles)
Beautiful cinematography, great use of the settings (dye mill and mountains) and the colors they present, nice use of light as a painting tool in a lot of the scenes, bright colors and high contrasts. Artsy! Li Gong is best when delivering powerful lines in roles of powerful women; perhaps, not in this one (one of her earlier films). A tragic and emotional story. Life is complicated by the need to adhere to traditions. Painful ending. Loved all of it, the whole movie. My Rating: 8.0
