zhang yimou's latest offering is the story of an estranged father and son. the father hearing that his son has cancer, travels to china to try and make a recording of the mask opera 'riding alone for thousands of miles', for him...

veteran japanese actor ken takakura puts in a great performance as a the father, struggling against beaurocracy and the fact he speaks no mandarin. zhang crafts a story about sons, fathers and people, that is quite beautiful.

nice stuff...