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"The movie's beautifully composed shots of smoke-belching steam engines heaving like fire-breathing dragons, and human figures silhouetted by moody night skies, wrests lyricism from the machine-ravaged landscapes of Inner Mongolia." —Los Angeles Times
Directed by Zhao Ye
Inspired by an old Chinese saying—“Even if I can accompany you for one thousand miles, finally we must bid farewell”—writer-director Zhao Ye films the parting of two friends working on the last Chinese steam engine trains, in the Jalainur coal mine in remote Inner Mongolia. Old Zhu, a train conductor, has decided to retire a few weeks early, to be with his daughter, who lives miles away. His young apprentice and close friend, Li Zhizhong, boards the train to be with him until the last minute. Zhao directs his non-professional actors documentary-style, capturing intimate details in rapturous visuals that express emotions more powerfully than words.
Producer: Helen Cui, Zhao Ye. Screenwriter: Zhao Ye. Cinematographer: Zhang Yi. Editor: Zhao Ye. Cast: Liu Yuansheng, Li Zhizhong. Presented in Putonghua dialogue with English subtitles. HDcam, Color, 92 min.
