Rent Mountains May Depart (2015)

3.3 of 5 from 128 ratings
2h 6min
Rent Mountains May Depart (aka Shan He Gu Ren) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Jia Zhangke's eighth feature is an intimate yet epic drama spanning several decades which charts the impact of China's move towards capitalism on the lives of one family. Divided into three parts (set in 1999, 2014 and Australia in 2025), 'Mountains May Depart' follows the life of Shen Tao (played by Jia's regular collaborator Zhao Tao) and her family through 26 tumultuous years. Perhaps his most ambitious film yet, Jia's film is an astute, humane study of how the emergent culture of capitalist materialism and the forces of globalisation have impacted on Chinese society and family life.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , Zishan Rong, Anna Sasson, Yee Yang
Directors:
Producers:
Shôzô Ichiyama, Zhangke Jia, Nathanaël Karmitz, Shiyu Liu, Zhong-Lun Ren
Writers:
Zhangke Jia
Others:
Jia Zhang-ke
Aka:
Shan He Gu Ren
Studio:
Arrow Academy
Genres:
Drama, Romance
Collections:
Top 10 Palm Dog Winners
Countries:
China
BBFC:
Release Date:
29/01/2018
Run Time:
126 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1, Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Mixed
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Introduction by Tony Rayns
  • Jia Zhangke Interviewed at the New York Film Festival' the director talks about Mountains May Depart and more in this extensive interview filmed in 2015
  • The Hedonists (2016), a visually sumptuous short film satire directed by Jia Zhangke
  • Original Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
29/01/2018
Run Time:
126 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Mixed
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • Introduction by Tony Rayns
  • Jia Zhangke Interviewed at the New York Film Festival' the director talks about Mountains May Depart and more in this extensive interview filmed in 2015
  • The Hedonists (2016), a visually sumptuous short film satire directed by Jia Zhangke
  • Original Trailer

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Reviews (4) of Mountains May Depart

Potentially great film crashes and burns in the final third - Mountains May Depart review by LC

Spoiler Alert
24/10/2018

I found this a frustrating experience. Divided into three clear sections, this film follows the effects of a love triangle throughout the years. The first two parts set in China are wonderful - moving, subtle human drama, well acted and with gorgeous cinematography. Sadly however, the final segment sees a switch to English language as we jump to near-future Australia, and suddenly it's all awkward, stilted dialogue, bad acting and unconvincing aging makeup. What a shame.

3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

A muddle - Mountains May Depart review by JG

Spoiler Alert
25/11/2018

A muddled film. It attempts a grand historical sweep, but founders on unsimpathetic characters and poor scripting. The lead is so self obsessed it’s almost unbearable...

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

An ambitious film that fails to deliver - Mountains May Depart review by Philip in Paradiso

Spoiler Alert
24/04/2023

In 1999, in the Chinese city of Fenyang, a 25-year-old shopkeeper called Tao finds herself caught between two men who are both keen on her: the 1st one is Liangzi, a good friend, who has a low-level job in the local coal mine, while the 2nd one is Jinsheng, the owner of a petrol station in the town, who is your typical, ambitious spiv. The love triangle is at the heart of the story in this dull town dominated by the coal industry. The movie (released in 2015) covers 3 separate periods: 1999 (when the story starts), 2014 and 2025. The storyline in the first 2 parts takes place in mainland China, in Fenyang essentially; the 3rd part takes place in Australia, as some of the characters central to the story have emigrated over there.

The film is ambitious in its scope: it would want to be one of those family sagas that cover a quarter of a century, showing the social and economic changes that China has been going through over the past decades. Unfortunately, the film has many flaws and fails to live up to its ambitions. The first 2 parts are interesting enough, but not that exciting; the 3rd part of the story, which takes place in Australia, as other reviewers have rightly said, feels stilted and fake, with characters sounding like the cast of a sentimental TV series. Right through the film, the dialogues can feel laborious, particularly in the first 2 parts of the film, with long silences and frequent pauses, but that is probably, I suspect, due to the fact the film is Chinese, i.e. cultural differences - presumably, that is the way people express themselves in such a context in China, unless it is a device used by the director. The story moves forward somewhat slowly, and feels a bit contrived and predictable at times.

Overall, the first 2 parts of the film make sense and are of (relative) interest; the 3rd part is a mess. Therefore, one must admit that it is not a particularly good film, despite the raving reviews it got in many quarters, and God knows why. Unless you have really nothing better to do and/or you are fanatical about Chinese films, I cannot quite see why you would want to inflict this movie on yourself. I must say I expected something far more interesting overall.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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