The Love Songs Of Tiedan / Mei Jie
China / 2012 / 91 min.
Director: HAO Jie
[Introduction]
In a tiny village in Shanxi Province, six-year-old Tiedan is in love with a beautiful woman named May who lives nearby. However, her family are performers of a folk-singing style called Er ren tai, and they are forced to move elsewhere when their art is banned under the Cultural Revolution. Over a decade passes, and May returns to the village with her three gorgeous daughters in tow. A new story begins to unfold between the now grown-up Tiedan and May's daughters... The latest from HAO Jie, who won the Special Jury Prize at TOKYO FILMeX 2010 for his "Single Man", depicts China through the eyes of one ordinary man over a period spanning the Cultural Revolution and the 1980s, when the government pursued a policy of cultural liberalization. It is filled with various songs and music from start to finish, and when the protagonist joins a traveling performance troupe in the second half, it notably takes on the appearance of a road movie. The vitality and humor of the common people that was featured in "Single Man" is also prevalent in this film, and its addition of portrayals of different times in China's history could be said to be a new step for HAO. YE Lan, who also appeared in "Single Man", is wonderful in the three roles of May, her eldest daughter, and her third daughter.
HAO Jie
Born in 1981 in Gujiagou, China. Graduate of Beijing Film Academy's Directorial Department. In 2008, he began writing the script for his directorial debut "A Single Man", which was completed in 2010 and screened at festivals including the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival. It was subsequently screened in competition at TOKYO FILMeX 2010 to great acclaim, and won the Special Jury Prize. "The Love Songs of Tiedan" is his eagerly-awaited new film, and his first in two years.
