The Story of Qiu Ju

No, this is not a review. Sort of. I just had to let this out.

image courtesy of wikipedia.com

There are only a handful of films that stirs just enough in me to write about them. And The Story of Qiu Ju is a film that exactly does that. Directed by the masterful Zhang Yimou and starring Gong Li as the lead role, the film is about a peasant woman’s struggle to find justice. The story starts out when the village chief wrongfully kicks Qiu Ju’s husband, Qing Lai, in the groins after a verbal altercation. After the chief refuses to admit his wrongdoing and give an apology, Qiu Ju, who is far along in her pregnancy, decides to seek justice. She goes into town with her little sister and appeals to the rural court regarding her problem. The court orders the chief to pay monetary compensation for the damage which he obligingly does so but still refuses to admit he was wrong. Not giving in and refusing the money, Qiu Ju then travels again to the city to appeal to a higher court only to be disappointed and to be given the same result as before. But this does not discourage her so again she comes down from her rural province into the big city, and with the advice of a good-natured magistrate, she hires a lawyer to formally press charges. 

From the outside, the film actually posses one of the most simple plots I have ever seen. It’s just about a pregnant girl struggling to get the justice she deems she deserves. The story is nothing more but a story of pride and stubbornness, with the chief for refusing to admit his mistake and with Qiu Ju refusing to accept the judgment of the people in authority. But this very story of pride and pigheadedness is what gives the story so much drive and compassion. The first parts of the movie, I must admit, were rather boring and slow. But as the story progresses, you are captivated by Qiu Ju’s sheer determination to get what she wants, that you find yourself immersed  and emotionally-invested in the scenes. Zhang Yimou truly shines as a genius of a storyteller by giving a shallow central theme with varying depths of conflicting human emotions.  No wonder this film is critically-acclaimed.

Gong Li, stripped away from her glamorous image, provides a sense of natural beauty into the character of Qiu Ju. With no makeup on and dressed simply (rather poorly), she radiates a certain beauty through her expressions of naiveté of a peasant girl.  But what gives Qiu Ju such a magnificent marker is the sheer force of her will. She was not presented as a nagging pregnant wife who just sets out to get what she wants, in fact there was minimal dialogue all throughout the movie. She was not depicted as pitiful either. She was given life as a strong woman, who despite being in the late trimester of her pregnancy overcomes the hard physical struggles of going down from her village in the mountains, the cruelties of the big city and the disappointment of her ordeal. I can’t praise Gong Li enough for giving such remarkable performance.

The film gives a striking reflection among the life of rural China, with its snow-covered landscape and colourful vegetation to the simple qualms of its people. It also gives the viewer insight on the traditions and the values that are most important to them such as honor, dignity and family. Although this is nothing new and has been the subject of many Chinese literature and movies, watching it being played out in the big screen on such depth and become the central theme of the movie, gives the viewer a greater understanding why these ideals are of vital importance to Chinese culture. In short it makes you appreciate Chinese culture and values a bit more.

The Story of Qiu Ju, for me is one of the movies that are best described by the age old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” or in this case, “don’t judge the film by its first 30 minutes”. As dull as the first few minutes of the movies are, it picks up rather nicely during the mid part until the ending. The ending is actually very effective. Though simple as it appears on screen, it makes the audience think and stir emotions if in fact justice has been served in the end. It makes you think who won and who lost. The ending is a beautiful irony captured by Qiu Ju’s tormented face magnified. And as the film’s ending has put it, justice always comes with a price.

The numerous international awards garnered by this film are testament that it can be considered a timeless classic. We can put it on the up there along with other Asian titles such as Raise the Red Lantern, Farewell My Concubine, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon etc. that puts overrated Hollywood movies to shame.

The Story of Qiu Ju is very much in fact a story well told.