Xiaochun is a promising violin prodigy entering into teenhood and is doted upon by his single country simpleton father. They go to Beijing where Xiaochun is taking part in a concert and they hope he will find a mentor to study under. His father stuffs away their savings in his toboggan, but due to favoritism and corruption, Xiaochun places third. His undaunted father still pursues one teacher, an unkempt recluse named Prof. Jiang. Xiaochun befriends a gold digger named Lili, one assumes, the first real crush the boy has ever had, soaking up her affections because he has never had a mother and he is, after all, a teen age boy. Eventually his father decides to switch teachers. Professor Jiang is only concerned with nurturing the music and soul, whereas his father wants Xiaochun to be a success. But, there is conflict between the boy who is trying to grow and find himself and his father who will sacrifice everything to have his son turn his talent into a career.

After seeing the work of Zhang Yimou (Jou Dou, Raise the Red Lantern), I sought out other film makers from China's "fifth generation" of socially conscious filmmakers. The first Chen Kaige film that I saw, The Yellow Earth, even had Yimou as the cinematographer. But, it was Kaige's two most notable films that soured me, Temtress Moon and Farewell My Concubine. While each has an insight into the struggles of the Chinese and the uneven class system, intentions are one thing, execution is another, and I found Chen Kaige to be the kind of weepy dramatic film maker that just doesn't suit my tastes. It is operatic melodrama. It is like a soap opera writing staff going, "Okay, this guys gotta' have a twin, this woman goes into a coma, or so-and-so cheats on so-and-so.", so too is the case with Chen Kaige. While his epic scope is whittled down into a more intimate picture with Together, it is still the same artist and his familiar manipulations.

So it goes with Together, a warm little tale that is bogged down by its pat trivialities. We get the two polar opposite teachers, the heartfelt eccentric and the straightforward, rich maestro. The hunched over, constantly bowing and subservient humble, rural father contrasted by the cruel and spoiled upper class of the city. But, it is not really its obviousness of such duality that hurts, it is the falseness. Take the scenario where Xiaochun first meets Lili. As he and his father stand in the crowded Beijing street. Dizzy with unfamiliar city confusion, his father needs to use the bathroom and asks Xiaochun to wait in one spot while he finds a restroom. No sooner is Xiaochun left alone then he spies Lili across the street hanging off one the arm of one of her "clients", and he walks across the street and watches her and follows her inside, carrying her bags. It just smacks of being a contrived way to see them meet and not the sort of thing any halfway sensible boy would do in the same situation.

And, all the fault for this doesn't lie in the script, it lies in the kid who plays Xiaochun. As an actor and our protagonist, he is the films dullest character, dulled by a blank-faced expression that makes determining his feelings and motivations a true mystery- and not the good kind... Okay. To be fair, I'm probalby sounding a bit harder on the film than I actually am. It is a sweet tale, just one that isnt believable and would have benefited from a second or third draft re-write.

The DVD: MGM

Picture: Anamorphic Widescreen. The image quality is pleasing enough, technically fine, yet the print isn't perfect and has a few areas in need of improvement. The sharpness and contrast details are fine, but the color is a tad weak and the grain a bit too heavy in some scenes. It shouldn't be too distracting, overall the often warm tones and well designed interiors should be pleasing to the eye.

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Cantonese with optional English subtitles. The sound is very good. Of course, it is a modest film so there isn't much need for audio dynamics. Really the only workout the surround gets is when it comes to the score. The rest is straightforward, dialogue and the little bits of fx and ambient noise are crisp and clear.

Extras: Chapter Selections--- Trailer.

Conclusion: Admittedly, it isn't really my fondest genre, but I'm always open, even when it comes to a filmmaker I have issues with. There is always a chance... I'm sure sweet drama oriented film fans will find it to be a very pleasant film. The transfer is just the solid basics but still worth a purchase for those interested in the film.