To Live

This was one of the first movies of its kind that I have watched produced by Chinese filmmakers. I was immediately drawn into the story of Fugui who has a gambling problem and who eventually looses all of his money and his home to a fellow gambler. He eventually has to enter both the communist and nationalist armies, while leaving his wife and two children back home to live in a small dwelling among other poverty stricken families. His wife and children work delivering fresh water every morning while he is away at war. When he returns he realizes the life he has created for his family is not how it should be. He continually realizes that he has ruined his family. The area of China that he lives in is suddenly forced to deposit all of their iron towards the war effort. Fugui's only son dies in an accident when the young boys were asked to help collect the iron from burning. His daughter is also unable to speak because of an illness from when she was younger.

To Live was particularly moving for me because of the constant struggle that the Xu family was faced with. The loss of their son, Youqing, was horrific for the family, but brought them together in the end. The lose of their daughter, Fengxia, during childbirth was also much more than what the family thought that they could endure. Yet, the birth of their grandchild was so that it signified the beginning of a new life. The film focuses on many different plots and as the Xu family struggles so does China. The final message of the film is that life goes on. Despite the terrible luck the Xu family had from the beginning, it only made them stronger.

I loved this film! I would highly recommend it to anyone you enjoys experiencing the true struggling of a family that ends in a seemingly horrible way. Yet, when looked at closely the film shows that there can be happiness in such horrible circumstances.