In a world full of war, stress, and divorce, this movie gives your mind and soul a rejuvinating lift. I makes you believe in true love, family ties, and the goodness of the human soul.
The cinematography adds so much to the story as the mountain village seems so symbolic of the love between the main characters as it is very simple, yet overwhelmingly beautiful.
This story starts with the death of Luo Yusheng's father and his journey back to the small village in which he grew up and his parents still resided. Upon arrival, he discusses with some townspeople, the unfortunate circumstances of his father's death and his mother's wishes for a traditional ritual of bringing the deceased home by foot. He died outside of the village, and so it would take many people to carry the coffin back to the village for the burial.
We are first introduced to the mother crying outside the schoolhouse where her husband was the local village teacher for so many years. This brings Luo Yusheng to recount the story of his parent's love for each other, which was the first marriage of love, and not arranged marriage, in the village.
As a teacher, you start to believe again that you really are touching lives as one hundred of the father's former students volunteer to help in the procession through the bitter cold of winter. They travel from various far away lands to be part of the ritual.
What a wonderful way for teachers to dig into the traditions and customs of Chinese culture. The funeral procession ritual is just one of the many ways Asian cultures pay respect to the elderly and deceased. This could be a lovely way to research various traditions that relate to respecting elders and ancestors. This movie could also be a study into arranged marriages and the places around the world that still partake in this custom as well.
If you feel a need to relax, drink a cup of hot tea, and fall back in love with love, The Road Home is waiting.
