Cannes 2015: Mountains May Depart Review - Smart, Far-Reaching And Flawed

Rating: ˜…˜…˜… The final scene of Mountains May Depart is, in the plainest terms, incredible, a pay-off to everything that has worked in the film thus far; if you played it immediately after the equally grabbing opening sequence, it'll no doubt be a masterful vignette about the effects of time. It's such a powerful summation of the film's broader themes that it just about makes you forget all the issues that have plagued the previous two hours. The film is told in three, forty minute segments that trace a set of characters over decades. Filmed in varied aspect ratios and evolving shooting styles, the story aims to show how people and places change (or don't) over time - there's even broader bits about the rise of China - and, as evidenced by that ending, it works, despite some irritating divergences. The first third is far and away the best of the lot. Set in 1999 exploring a love triangle between characters at varying levels of self-ingratiation, it's just feature length (anything forty and above counts) and almost would have been serviceable as an entry in its own right. The 4:3 screen size creates landscapes that feel framed as portrait and leads the eye to exactly where Kia Zhangke wants you to go. A 2014 section (16:9) ambles along nicely, but a final act set in 2025 Australia (2.35:1) doesn't quite gel. The globalisation elements explored in this latter part are nice, but the plot is, for much of it, disparate to what's come before and even a little twee. The best thing in the film is Zhao Tao as Shen Tao. Her fellow actors are a mixed bag, but she can turn a scene captivating no matter who she's playing against through an effortless naturalism and no fear of embracing deep emotions. In fact, any time when she's not on screen (and there's two lengthy parts where she isn't) feel the absence of the character and the actress. It's not helped that a coal miner seeking medical help (the opening of the second act) and a son trying to find freedom from his gun-loving father (the majority of the final third) don't have much overriding relevance beyond featuring characters from before. One of the best stylistic choices in terms of embodying the theme is the incredibly contrasting music. Pet Shop Boys' Go West and another, Cantonise, pop tune recur throughout. Played diegetically or willed into the soundtrack by a character humming the tune, they underscore character development, showing a wistful recollection of an earlier time. That's subtle, but at some points it can feel a little obvious. The fact that it's a new year or that the Malaysian plane disaster is unfolding are repeated in their respective sections with unreal awareness and the overall message is even explicitly stated in the final five minutes. It doesn't damage the film too much, but feels like an odd choice when Zhangke was otherwise happy to let things unfold in a natural manner. It's hard not to be moved by Mountains May Depart and for vast stretches it really works, but as a complete feature doesn't quite come together. Shaved of about thirty minutes, this could have been something really special. Keep up with all of our Cannes 2015 coverage on the official page here.