Postmen in the Mountains (1999)

First off, I would say this movie is not for everyone. I would avoid it if you do not like very slow movies.

This is a movie which beautifully relies on simplicity to tell an emotional tale. It's a quiet tale, full of feeling, full of longing. It's a deeply felt journey.

The gist of it is simple: China, 80s, the moutains of Hunan. A son is taking over the postman position of his father, who is forced to retirement due to arthritis. And for his first time doing it the father walks along, to teach him. The job is fairly simple: Walk a certain designated route, dropping mail in villages. But it's not that simple, because the postman must understand the villagers- and their hearts and the relationships among them.

It is a story of a father and son- and the understanding that passes between them of how much sacrifice this job entails. The son already kknows this and yet the journey together, the journey of passage for one and initiation for another- brings them to a point of transition and deeper understanding. This journey becomes a touchstone of both of their lives. It is a story of mutual appreciation, and of strenghtening the father-son bond but also increasing the love for the heart of the family, the mother, and her own sacrifices.

For anyone who knows and identifies with the joy but at the same time heartbreak of solitude and/or who enjoys solitary walks in the moutains, this movie may just prove a beautiful sight. For anyone who knows the separation from family for a long time due to a sense of duty or because of job, this may also be something to identify with.

It may not be a film for everyone, for it is slow, perhaps too slow, deliberate and reflective and lets feelings unfold on screen, though it speaks through facts and situations. It's a story of a father and son, the story of inheritance, the story of a journey of initiation and of sacrifice. It is accompanied with beautiful scenery and calming music- at times soaring with nostalgia which pierced right through me, beautiful cinematography, breathtaking at times, as we witness the wide expanses of the great moutains, the significane of the job in such a rural area becomes even more pronouces, as is the sacrifice. There is also some very intimate camera work at times.

It may seem very dated to some, however.

The acting is very sensitive and restrained from both actors and their bond feels very real; there is good character development as they learn more about each other The dog is also very prominent. The Chinese title of the film is "Those Mountains, Those People, That Dog", where the dog refers to the dog that accompanies our postmen on the way, a trusted companion, almost the second son, in the solitude of the long path that takes the postman away from home for many long weeks.

It's a thoroughly beautiful piece, which very much affected me the first time I saw it. I was very much taken by the painting the film created. For that reason alone, this movie will always be special for me.

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Not so long ago I was looking for a Chinese (drama) movie in some website and I came across the movie ''Postmen in the mountains'' I directly fell in love with the poster and decided to watch it as soon as possible, but I was too impatient that I couldn't wait any longer as you can see. And the truth is that I loved this movie, I did not expect much from it but it captured my heart since the very first second and actually this is not often that a movie makes me feel that good.

So basically this movie is about a young man who decides to follow his father's footsteps after his retirement :becoming a postman.
Before retiring the father accompanies his son in the rural mountains of Hunan where he delivered mails to the villagers, villagers he knows very well and so he told his son that being a postman is not only a job where you deliver mails but you have to give all your love in it and understand well all these people, because they are the one who'll make him enjoy this job which is actually not an easy one since he has a long way to go before doing the work properly and so his fathher is going with him for his first time to show him the ropes, his father told him this ''as long as you have dreams you live, a life without dreams is not a life fully lived, same goes with this mail route it is tough but you meet nice people , you learn a lot on this route,then you find new meaning in the job. The villagers give your job a meaning, their life gives you a new meaning'' this sentence will remain in my heart for a very long time*0*!
A part from that I loved the father/son bonding here, I was so touched by their interactions. Here we have a son who does not even know anything about his father but on this long journey he will learn more about him than he could have learnt in his childhood and teenager's days , and so many scenes deeply touched me especially one when the son is carrying his father on his back, absolutely one of my favorite scene of the movie. Well I won't say much you have to see it with your own eyes and I'm sure you'll feel the same way as I did !

I'm sincerely glad I was able to watch such an underrated gem, it's the kind of movie which makes me forget about everything around me and allows me to enjoy every part of it without worrying about the rest.

I think these words perfectly describe the movie : Calm, poetic, breathtaking, beautiful and inspiring yep this is for me one of the most inspiring movie I've ever seen. I also have to say that the cinematography here is so stunning I took not less than 40 screenshots as the Hunan province is so beautiful filled with wonderful landscapes, definitely a place I would love to visit and rest for a long moment ;)

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