This film is adapted from Shen Congwen's novel of the same name. The story takes place in the early years of the Republic of China. In a small mountai[Expand All]
This film is adapted from Shen Congwen's novel of the same name. The story takes place in the early years of the Republic of China. In a small mountain town on the border of western Hunan, there is an old boatman (played by Feng Hanyuan) who guards a ferry and helps people cross the river. He and his granddaughter Cuicui (played by Dai Na) depend on each other for survival. Seventeen years ago, Cuicui's mother had a child out of wedding-out with a soldier stationed in the garrison. Later, both of them died for love. The old boatman didn't want Cuicui to repeat the same mistake and was determined to entrust her to a reliable person. In Chadong City, Shunshun, the ship chief, has two sons - the eldest son Tianbao (played by Liu Kui) and the second son Nuosong (played by Shi Lei). They both fell in love with Cuicui at the same time, and Cuicui was in love with Erlao. On the night of the Dragon Boat Festival three years ago, Cuicui happened to meet Erlao, and the seed of their love was quietly sown at that moment. Later, the two brothers decided to let Cuicui choose by singing love songs. But for various reasons, the singing never came again. Then came the tragic news that the big shot had been drowned in the water. Although the second brother still loved Cuicui, he left in a huff because of his elder brother's death. On a stormy night, the old boatman died of depression. Cuicui finally understood many things. So, she stayed by the ferry, waiting for the second brother to come back... This film won the Honorary Award of the Jury at the 9th Montreal International Film Festival in Canada.[Collapse]
