TOGETHER WITH YOU (UK)
aka TOGETHER (USA) aka HAN NI ZAI YIKI

Year: 2002
USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists
UK: Momentum Pictures
Cast: Tang Yun, Liu Peiqi, Chen Hong, Wang Zhiwen, Chen Kaige, Cheng Qian, Liu Bing, Kim Hairi, Li Chuanyun
Director: Kaige Chen
Countries: China / South Korea
Language: Mandarin (English subtitles)
USA: 116 mins
UK: 117 mins
USA Rated: PG for mild language and thematic elements
UK Certificate: PG contains mild language
USA Release Date: 30 May 2003 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 12 December 2003


Synopsis

Xiaochun (Tang Yun) is a 13 year-old violin prodigy who lives with his father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peiqi), in a provincial Chinese city. Shy and sensitive, Xiaochun doesn't say much - music is his way of expressing his feelings - but his entire life changes when his father, wanting the best for him, takes him to live in immense Beijing. Liu Cheng is willing to sacrifice everything so Xiaochun can audition for a prestigious music school and take lessons that befit his talent.

In this exciting new world, Xiaochun studies with demanding teachers and is introduced to the cutthroat world of professional music. Through the people he meets - and seeing the consequences they've had to face - he also learns how painful life's choices can be. Liu Cheng wants Xiaochun to grow up as a world-class violinist and live the successful life he himself couldn't dream of, but as his training intensifies, Xiaochun has to figure out what he wants for himself - and how much he's willing to give up for it. Ultimately, Xiaochun realizes how he truly feels about music and comes to understand the strength of his father's love.

Featuring an extraordinary classical soundtrack and woven together with the harmony and intensity of a complex musical orchestration, Chen Kaige's TOGETHER WITH YOU is a stirring drama about the power of music and the importance of family. But for all the film's warmth and humor, Chen also provides a subtle critique of contemporary China and its pursuit of all things modern. In the face of society's pressures to achieve and have more and better of everything, Chen explores what it truly means to come TOGETHER.

TOGETHER WITH YOU won three Golden Roosters in its native country, China's equivalent of the Academy Awards®. Chen Kaige was awarded Best Director, Zhou Ying won Best Editing, and Wang Zhiwen received Best Supporting Actor for his role as Professor Jiang.