[abowloffire]

I love films about rural life, where nothing much seems to happen. At best these movies are fascinating pictures of humanity and its struggle against time and nature. At worst they're kinda boring, sure, but there's always something to be gained from seeing them I think.

So yeah. Recommend me movies about rural life.

[piousm]

There are a few japanese ones that involve rural life, though they are more character movies. One which I really liked recently was "Breathe In Breathe Out" (sugarcane farming). Another was Anemasu (I think) about kids growing up in rural Japan. There was another about twin boys growing up in rural Japan who become artists, but I cant remember the name. These ones probably arent as focused on the rural pursuits as the characters, but they are worth watching for the settings. All are on Avistaz.

[montezuma]

I already recommended this yesterday:
Cherries (2007, chinese) ... just noticed it's unseeded atm though (and for some reason I can't re-seed it)...

Other than that, hm, quite rare of a theme if I look over my collection... maybe 'My darling of the mountains' (jpn 2008), I'm not sure though if the comedy is destroying the atmosphere you are looking for.

[abowloffire]

Those are some interesting suggestions; I'll check them out soon. Yama no anata is slightly inferior to the original, Anma to onna, but still a decent movie.

Some others that I like:
Nashan naren nagou / Postmen in the Mountains
Mabei shang de fating / Courthouse on Horseback
Tuya de hun shi / Tuya's Marriage
Tennen Kokekko / A Gentle Breeze in the Village
Dong dong de jia qi / A Summer at Grandpa’s

More pls?

[MostlySonny]

...I really liked recently was "Breathe In Breathe Out" (sugarcane farming). Another was Anemasu...

My uploads
I think the Anemasu might be 'Amemasu no Kawa" or River of First Love only the 1st half was about kids growing up in the countryside . Other rural movies: The Road Home, The Harmonium of my Memory, Once in a Summer.

[Mickypoo]

There was a good one by the guy who directed "Beijing Bicycle (which is the best urban life film I've ever seen)." I think it's called "Shanghai Dreams."

It's basically set in industrial/rural Guizhou, China in the early 80's, although made around 2005. Follows the life of a few families, and in particular a girl with a strict, overprotective father. It's generally just about "life." Kids trying to rebel/have fun/fall in love, whilst their parents battle financial struggles etc etc. Pretty depressing for the most part from memory.

[piousm]

My uploads
I think the Anemasu might be 'Amemasu no Kawa" or River of First Love only the 1st half was about kids growing up in the countryside . Other rural movies: The Road Home, The Harmonium of my Memory, Once in a Summer.

Thanks for those. The other one about the kids who grew up to be artists was "Village of Dreams". Amemasu no Kawa was pretty special, and well worth a watch even though part was set in the city.

[madnecromancer]

Hey abowloffire, I know exactly what you mean. I also love watching Chinese rural-themed films. So I hunt as many titles as I can and actually have my own list. Trust me they're all good.

Some I recommend are:

-Not One Less

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209189/

-Balzac and the Chinese Seamstress

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291032/

-Blind Mountain

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1020972/

-Cherries

CODE

http://asianmediawiki.com/Cherries_(2007-China)

-The Road Home

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0235060/

-Farewell my Concubine

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106332/

-Ju Dou

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099902/

-riding alone for a thousand miles

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437447/

-raise the red lantern

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101640/

-Bliss (not exactly rural but in the slum-type parts of a city and with all the human interactions you seem to like

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0829114/#comment

-Mountain Patrol

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386651/

Lost Indulgence (again not rural but also slum-type

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1201637/

And if you haven't already seen it then you definitely need to watch Beijing Bicycle its about the life of a rural migrant who comes to the big city. Really Really good.

CODE

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276501/

I have a few more so if you ever need anymore ask!

Hope I helped!

[abowloffire]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm getting Cherries and Shanghai Dreams right now.

I've already seen most of the Zhang Yimous and Chen Kaiges. Not a fan though. Just keep suggesting; I'll see all of these eventually.

[madnecromancer]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm getting Cherries and Shanghai Dreams right now.

I've already seen most of the Zhang Yimous and Chen Kaiges. Not a fan though. Just keep suggesting; I'll see all of these eventually.

Where are you getting Shanghai Dreams from? because I can't find it. Can you please tell me when you get it?

[MostlySonny]

Where are you getting Shanghai Dreams from? because I can't find it. Can you please tell me when you get it?

http://bt.avistaz.co...c72620daa8a20f1

[madnecromancer]

Thanks MostlySonny!

[clemens]

The Korean "Old partner"
http://www.yesasia.c...itors-pick.html

[abowloffire]

Just watched Wakamatsu Koji's 17-sai no fukei - shonun wa nani o mita no ka. I'm amazed at how beautiful it is. Movies about almost nothing can be breathtaking.

More pls.

[sputnikwood]

Movies about almost nothing can be breathtaking.

hehe, i like this comment of yours. I don't particularly follow these rural films but a recent one i saw was called : Sunflower. It's about the generational clash of a father that wants his son to be an artist. Many things do happen in this film. The trailer can be found in this link:

http://www.fortissim....asp?filmID=205



http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401808/

[abowloffire]

Just saw Dao ma zei / The Horse Thief directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang. A really beautiful film about Tibet. Way superior to Hong he gu / Red River Valley by Feng Xiaoning, which is also about Tibet.

[tellmewhy]

Tennen Kokekko was already mentioned but I'd like just to chime in that it's a very good, if slow-moving movie.

[abowloffire]

Just saw Yamada Yoji's Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi and Harakara back-to-back. It is amazing how he makes the ordinary feel so meaningful. With these two and Kokyou which I saw some time ago, Yamada is slowly proving to me that I should go and see more of his older films.

PS. It depresses me that I don't have the space to download all of Tora san!

[Kaspar-Hauser]

Yeah, Zhang Yimou's first films are great, probably some of the best about rural life.

But the absolute best would have to be Abbas Kiarostami's films, even though these would be Middle-Eastern.

On Japanese film, Imamura has a few films dealing with people living in villages. The Insect Woman (if I'm not mistaken) is about a country woman.

An interesting film about the countryside is Studio Ghibli's "Only Yesterday", I'd recommend that also.

[abowloffire]

Imamura did make a few films about rural life (remake of Narayama bushiko, Kamigami no Fukaki Yokubu), but he tends to be more.... obtuse. His worlds are never very "ordinary" despite being set in a common world, at least not in the same sense as the other films mentioned here are. Imamura is still great though.