An unexpected gem in the middle of the desert, this quiet drama proves itself fully deserving of its Golden Bear at the 2007 Berlin annual film festival.
Sixth generation, Mainland Chinese film director Wang Quanan once again bands with actor, and ex-partner of ten years, Nan Yu, to turn his attention to the rural side of life in China- a focal point of his 2004 film The Story of Ermei, which told the story of a young Shaanxi peasant girl. This time 'Tuya's Marriage' takes us into the depths of the vast and arid grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Though its plot is fairly straight forward, and dialogue simple, this quiet and understated film stands strong in its realistic portrayal of rural life, natural acting style, and breath taking landscape.
Her husband crippled after digging a well, strong and persevering Tuya must labour, herding sheep and lugging water from a faraway waterhole, to keep her husband and two young children alive. But the young, and still beautiful Tuya can no longer be the sole carrier of her family's burden- she is suffering from lumbar fatigue caused by over exhaustion, and faces possible lower body paralysis. Her husband agrees that she must find a new suitor to marry. This doesn't prove to be so easy though, as Tuya, still faithful to her old husband, is resolute that whoever wishes to marry her must also be prepared to care for him too.
Mainland Chinese born actor Nan Yu is well fitted in her role as the independent Tuya. The fact that Nan Yu spent several months living in rural Mongolia prior to filming has given her a great understanding and confidence in the role and comes off as a genuine Inner Mongolian grasslands shepherdess. Tuya's costume potentially could have swallowed many actors whole- she is swathed in numerous, bulky layers of clothing and wrapped tightly in a head scarf- but Nan Yu's expressive face works to bring Tuya to life.
Tuya is an independent, incredibly strong woman. She is a shepard to the men around her- her disabled husband Baotoer, her likable but foolish friend Shenge who always falls on bad luck, and even her younger son. She has an incredibly strong loyalty towards her husband "The only way I'd leave him is if I became worse than him" and for his sake turns down many suitors who could have been a way out of poverty for her. But there are a few times when we get to see another side of Tuya's tough exterior. My favourite scene is when we see her, taken away from the farm and work, sitting together with her friend Shenge in his brand new truck. Orange light shines on them from the setting sun, and as they look forward into the distance Shenge speaks of the uncertainties of the future. For a moment we see a fragile young woman, no different from ourselves, who is lost in a big, and changing world.
If Nan Yu is the star of the movie, then the landscape would have to be her co-star. Absolutely stunning with it's never ending, barren desert and clear blue skies, the long shots show the vastness of the land and isolation of the characters. The women in the film wear brightly coloured head scarves- pink, red, purple, green- as a way of expressing them selves, and these headscarves are a striking contrast against the often dust coloured backdrop.
The use of music in this film is also truly effective. Traditional string instruments are often used, along with woman singing. The music is only used at the saddest times in the film, and is combined with long, enduring shots of the wild and desolate landscape. This creates a haunting feeling of loneliness and forlornness. Both landscape and music become symbolic of Tuya's situation- she is stranded with no solution in sight.
Tuya's Marriage generally fits into the drama genre. The film deals with realistic and totally believable characters, and explores how social issues such as poverty and alcoholism bring these characters into conflict with themselves, and the others around them. Poverty makes rural farm life in China tough, and relatively simple tasks such as watering the sheep become difficult because lack of adequate equipment- Tuya must travel 30miles a day just to fetch sufficient water. The question of day to day survival forces characters to make decisions that go against every part of their being-it becomes a cruelly ironic when the only way for Tuya to care for her disabled husband, Baotoer, who she loves, is to divorce him. Several of the characters look to alcohol to numb the pain. An older chain-smoking woman, worn out by life's trials, says "I'm raising six by myself with no man; if I didn't drink I don't know what I'd do."
In a sense Tuya's Marriage also becomes a documentary of Mongolian culture and traditional ceremonies, often putting a lot of focus on the landscape, the traditional ceremonies and dress, the music, and traditional foods such as head-to-tail lamb and milk tea. This makes the film a fascinating experience, but my only possible complaint is that this overtakes the films over focus on showing intimate interactions between the characters.
Beautiful and affecting, and often scattered with moments of humour and tenderness, Tuya's Wedding gives us a window into a seldom travelled world through the struggles of one young woman.
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