TaraVerde

I don't know why I kept postponing this film for so long. In the end, it doesn't matter, because the truth is that this is a timeless masterpiece. The movie doesn't feel outdated or old at all.

The story is compelling, the pacing is terrific, the direction is meticulous and beautifully crafted, and the visuals are outstanding. How it portrays China's history through such an intimate and personal story is amazing. The interplay between the characters' inner world and the historical context is a constant reminder that we are a product of both.

For me, the most captivating part was the interesting and complex relationship between Douzi/Dieyi and Juxian. What begins with them as enemies gradually transforms into a triangle where feelings and emotions become all mixed up, and in the end I felt they were more connected to each other than either of them was to Xiaolou. Their relationship felt the most real, and I think she was the one who truly cared for and loved him the most, not in a romantic way, but in general. I was deeply moved by both Gong Li's and Leslie Cheung's performances.

And Dieyi... what an interesting character. Fragile yet strong as steel, tragic, channelling all his love for life and his longing for love into a passion for Peking Opera, to the point where it turns into an obsession. You can tell when he merged with the Concubine character. Was that his way of surviving? Of finding a place where he could be loved and accepted? Is that why he decided to become a great opera actor?

But the destructive force inside him never left. A sensitive, broken soul who transformed his tragedy and suffering into beauty and art, but who ultimately was never able to change his fate. Perhaps that's why he refused to sing those lyrics back then, and kept defying them every time. An eternal inner conflict between surrender and rebellion.

He channelled all his tragedies and sorrows through the beauty of art, and this is, indeed, a powerful message from director Chen Kaige: art as a force of catharsis, expression, and emotion. The fierce criticism of the Cultural Revolution and its worldview, which intended to leave no place for art - among other things of course -, is clear from every angle.

I couldn't connect with Xiaolou as much, and it was during several crucial moments that he showed the unpleasant side of human nature, those traits that also make us human. Despite this, you can understand through him and other characters how fear, jealousy, selfishness, and the instinct to survive bring out the worst in people, and I think the movie also does a great job portraying that.

There's so much to unpack here, but once again, I'm convinced I couldn't do the film justice with anything I could add about its many layers and aspects. A must-watch, no matter when you happen to cross paths with it.