"Under the Hawthorn Tree" tells the true story of Sun and Jin, two young Chinese who meet and fall in love in the countryside during the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. The film is directed by acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, and is filmed mostly in the beautiful countryside of Sichuan province.
The film centers around the "The Down to the Countryside Movement", a policy instigated by Mao Zedong, which displaced millions of Chinese families, scattering them around China. Those Chinese born into the capitalist classes, were sent to the countryside for 're-education' among the proletariat. These moves sometimes resulted in families being separated for decades.
In the movie, Jing is just such an unlucky citizen, sent to the countryside, where love strikes when she meets the handsome Sun. The romance is innocent, without even hand-holding, (holding opposite ends of a stick is ok though), but the danger of being found out and split apart remains in this society of watchers, spies, and political paranoia.
Sun works in a Chinese geological mission, searching for radium sources for use in China's nuclear industry. Jing works first building roads, a dangerous job for this tiny girl, and she faces a series of injuries, which Sun helps to treat.
Their courtship continues amid the political unrest, with Sun being separated from Jing for a time. I won't spoil the ending for you, except to say that you best keep the Kleenex on hand. Director Zhang Yimou is brilliant at pulling your heartstrings, and the movie is beautifully shot and acted. It is subtitled in English, so get your hands on a copy and enjoy.
