Under the Hawthorn Tree

Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010) is Zhang Yimou's plainest film, far more unadorned than you would expect from the man who made Red Sorghum and Hero. The Cultural Revolution. Jing, a student from the city, is sent to the countryside for re-education. There she meets Sun, who works with a geological team. Something begins between them and cannot be lived openly: Jing's father is detained for political reasons, and the smallest mistake on her part would end her whole family's future. The tension of the film is entirely there. There is almost no physical contact between them, and the one or two touches that do occur are its heaviest moments. Zhang Yimou deliberately set his own signature aside here: natural light, muted colour, unshowy framing. Given that this is the director best known for his use of colour, that choice is an argument in itself. The source is Ai Mi's novel, which itself came from the true story of a friend of the author. Zhou Dongyu, in the lead, had no acting experience; Zhang Yimou found her for this film. She later shared the Golden Horse for Best Actress for Soul Mate, whose Korean remake is on this site as Soulmate. It runs 113 minutes. Good for: Chinese cinema, period romance, and quiet drama. Less good for: the pace is very slow, the ending is heavy, and viewers wanting emotion may find it too restrained.