China (2005)
Starring: Cecilia Cheung, Dong-gun Jang, Hiroyuki Sanda
Awards: Orient Express Section Special Jury Award (Fantasporto 2007)
I looked for this movie because I came across an old review from the LA Times I think that called it one of the most beautiful films imaginable. The Promise was without a doubt visually striking. It was worth getting the blu-ray version of it. From the costumes to the scenes to the story itself this movie was cool all the way through. It truly is a beautiful story.
In a world where men and gods live side by side a slave from the Land of the Snow and beggar turned princess pick their destiny. Cheung was promised by a goddess a life of riches, but without love. Jang was born a more noble human from the Land of the Snow and forced into slavery. Their paths cross in a complex turn of events and the rest is the story that is worth watching.
This movie was awesome. Just when I thought that I'd exhausted nearly every major cinematic release from the past decade I found a movie that made me wonder how I had missed it!
Quote: Destiny can be changed, time sometimes does flow backwards, snow can fall in the spring, and even a frozen heart can come back to life.
