I believe the director's purpose was to show how estranged cultures, like estranged family relationships, can learn to transcend their isolated differences through compassion and hard work and in turn build bridges of trust, unity and friendship. The theme of reconciliation is pervasive throughout the film and is predominantly layered through culture and more specifically, family. Director Zhang Yimou illustrates this theme in three specific ways.
The first general evidence of transcendence from estrangement comes through father Takata's struggles to win back the trust and respect from his son who he hasn't seen in over ten years. By embarking on a difficult journey to make this reconciliation efficacious, Takata secretly travels to China, unbeknownst to his hospital-ridden son, to film a well-celebrated masked opera that his son deeply admires. Takata's journey is not easy. In fact, the difficulties he encounters (i.e. receiving permission from law enforcement agencies to film prisoner/actor Li Jiamin, finding the prisoners son, Yang Yang) require hard work and compassion. The determination Takata has in creating this film for his son, despite the conflicts that seek to thwart his efforts, demonstrates his fortitude in proving to his son that he loves him and wants to make restitution. The mere fact that he wants this film to be made in secrecy and not publicly announced to his son heightens the sense of compassion he has for him.
The second more specific evidence of transcendence from estrangement is during Yang Yang's departure into the mountain wilderness and Takata's search after him. In a very literal way, both are estranged from different cultures and do not understand one another. This is a figurative parallel of Takata's estrangement from his own son; both having not communicated in over ten years and do not understand where the other is coming from. In this regard, Takata and his son really do come from two different spiritual cultures. Takata narrates that his search to find Yang Yang in the wilderness is a representation, or parallel, of his own search in figuring out how to reunite with his son back in Japan. Upon finding Yang Yang after some difficulty and hard work, he runs away. This is comparable to Takata's own son running away, or rather rejecting his visit at the hospital. There is a beautiful bonding moment captured between Takata and Yang Yang after they become lost. They both share ways in signaling the search parties to rescue themTakata flashes the light from his camera up in the air while Yang Yang blows a fishing whistle given to him by Takata. After they are found the next day, something special has taken place between them both. They embrace in a very touching moment, having somehow built throughout the difficult experience a relationship of trust and unity. They both act as surrogates to one anotherYang Yang acting as the son Takata never had, and Takata acting as the father Yang Yang never knew. This scene is very significant in creating a hope inside of Takata, as well as the viewer, that perhaps the reunion with his own son will be similar.
The third specific evidence of transcendence from estrangement is the director's choice of color in illustrating both Chinese and Japanese cultures. The colors in Japan are very subdued, cold and harsha reflection of the inward character of Takata; a man who admits he has a very difficult time expressing his emotions, let alone dealing with people, and, who, like his son, feels more comfortable hiding behind a mask than revealing his true nature. The dark colors of Japan are also perhaps symbolic of the director's feelings of isolation from other nations and his desire to transcend them. As soon as Takata journey's into China, the colors become warm, alive and vibranta reflection of the inward desire that Takata wants to be but doesn't know how to go about doing so. Perhaps the warm colors of China also reflect the director's own desire in welcoming a foreign nation with loving hands. It's interesting to note that the warmth of this embrace isn't coming from his own nation, but from anotherthus exalting the position of another before his own. This idea of guanxi is typical in most Eastern culturesthat is, gift giving that lubricates social relationships. In this case, the gift that Yimou is giving to increase his countries social standing is of exalting another country, namely China, by painting them in majestic colors.
The first general evidence of transcendence from estrangement comes through father Takata's struggles to win back the trust and respect from his son who he hasn't seen in over ten years. By embarking on a difficult journey to make this reconciliation efficacious, Takata secretly travels to China, unbeknownst to his hospital-ridden son, to film a well-celebrated masked opera that his son deeply admires. Takata's journey is not easy. In fact, the difficulties he encounters (i.e. receiving permission from law enforcement agencies to film prisoner/actor Li Jiamin, finding the prisoners son, Yang Yang) require hard work and compassion. The determination Takata has in creating this film for his son, despite the conflicts that seek to thwart his efforts, demonstrates his fortitude in proving to his son that he loves him and wants to make restitution. The mere fact that he wants this film to be made in secrecy and not publicly announced to his son heightens the sense of compassion he has for him.
The second more specific evidence of transcendence from estrangement is during Yang Yang's departure into the mountain wilderness and Takata's search after him. In a very literal way, both are estranged from different cultures and do not understand one another. This is a figurative parallel of Takata's estrangement from his own son; both having not communicated in over ten years and do not understand where the other is coming from. In this regard, Takata and his son really do come from two different spiritual cultures. Takata narrates that his search to find Yang Yang in the wilderness is a representation, or parallel, of his own search in figuring out how to reunite with his son back in Japan. Upon finding Yang Yang after some difficulty and hard work, he runs away. This is comparable to Takata's own son running away, or rather rejecting his visit at the hospital. There is a beautiful bonding moment captured between Takata and Yang Yang after they become lost. They both share ways in signaling the search parties to rescue themTakata flashes the light from his camera up in the air while Yang Yang blows a fishing whistle given to him by Takata. After they are found the next day, something special has taken place between them both. They embrace in a very touching moment, having somehow built throughout the difficult experience a relationship of trust and unity. They both act as surrogates to one anotherYang Yang acting as the son Takata never had, and Takata acting as the father Yang Yang never knew. This scene is very significant in creating a hope inside of Takata, as well as the viewer, that perhaps the reunion with his own son will be similar.
The third specific evidence of transcendence from estrangement is the director's choice of color in illustrating both Chinese and Japanese cultures. The colors in Japan are very subdued, cold and harsha reflection of the inward character of Takata; a man who admits he has a very difficult time expressing his emotions, let alone dealing with people, and, who, like his son, feels more comfortable hiding behind a mask than revealing his true nature. The dark colors of Japan are also perhaps symbolic of the director's feelings of isolation from other nations and his desire to transcend them. As soon as Takata journey's into China, the colors become warm, alive and vibranta reflection of the inward desire that Takata wants to be but doesn't know how to go about doing so. Perhaps the warm colors of China also reflect the director's own desire in welcoming a foreign nation with loving hands. It's interesting to note that the warmth of this embrace isn't coming from his own nation, but from anotherthus exalting the position of another before his own. This idea of guanxi is typical in most Eastern culturesthat is, gift giving that lubricates social relationships. In this case, the gift that Yimou is giving to increase his countries social standing is of exalting another country, namely China, by painting them in majestic colors.