Republic

We follow a man of advanced age walking along a misty mountain path in China. In one shot he carries a bag; in others he carries sacks of rice, or timber, or large buckets of water. He’s filmed in the morning, in the evening, and at night. The seasons change as we walk with him, through the bleakness of the winter, or on a fresh spring morning. The low-key atmosphere, the subdued gray-green hues of the surroundings, and the absence of dialogue and music all lend this film a refreshingly understated feel. A space is opened up in which the viewer can listen to the sound of the wind, the man’s footsteps, the birds. There is time to wonder who the man is that we are following, where he is going, and what his life is like. Only at the end of his journey do we find out a little more about him. One Day is a minimalist take on a journey that allows the viewer room to reflect on what we do with our time.

The film portrays two Lisu brothers aged 10 and 17 living in the Biluo Mountain where Nujiang River passes. After their father died, their mother remarried and settled at the foot of the mountain, leaving the boys to her mother and brother. There is no school on the mountain and kids spend their time shouldering the family chores. Even with the misfortune and hardship, simple happiness is never far from their life.

This film depicts the life of an old couple dwelling in the deep mountains, where they live separately in their own caves, like two parallel universes that can never intersect.