Plucking Meaning From It All -- `Life On A String' Draws Truth From Simplicity

XXX "Life on a String," with Liu Zhongyuan, Huang Lei and Xu Quing. Written and directed by Chen Kaige. Neptune Theatre, Sunday and Monday only. Not rated; mature themes, brief violence. --------------------------------------------------------------- As the founding member of China's "Fifth Generation" of filmmakers (along with "Raise the Red Lantern" director Zhang Yimou and others), Chen Kaige is one of the strongest voices in the current Chinese cinema, born after the Communist takeover of 1949 and not afraid to break tradition by making films that examine Chinese culture and history with a critical eye.

Though he denies any overtly political content in his films, Kaige's 1984 debut, "Yellow Earth," was widely acclaimed as the first Chinese film since 1949 to suggest that communism had failed the Chinese people, and initially the film was banned from international release.

Kaige's fourth feature, "Life on a String," is likely to encourage the ongoing political analysis of the director's work, but this time the emphasis is almost purely spiritual. As with "Yellow Earth," Kaige tells a simple story from which greater truths can be drawn, combining beautifully composed, almost otherworldly images with the universal appeal of folklore.

When invited to teach and study at New York University in 1988, Kaige was inspired by the magic realism of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the Brazilian Cinema Novo, and "Life on a String" demonstrates some of those influences in its story about an old blind man referred to as "The Saint" (Liu Zhongyuan), who roams from village to village with his sanxian (three-stringed "banjo") to sing ballads and tell folk tales.

Sixty years earlier he had been told by his dying master that, when he had broken 1,000 strings on his banjo, a hidden compartment would open to reveal a prescription that would restore his sight.

It is this hope that keeps the old man going, traveling with Shidou (Huang Lei), a young apprentice who is also blind. Bolstered by his faith in one day being able to see and "taste the color of fruit," the monklike old man nears his 1,000th broken string, but generational differences with Shidou, and the boy's love for a village girl named Lanxiu (Xu Quing), threaten to disrupt their long-awaited epiphany. A local clan war further blocks their quest.

Kaige has said that "Life on a String" addresses "the present state of spiritual void among the Chinese," who have grown disillusioned by reality and have "failed to find a source of rejuvenation for their culture and civilization."

Knowing this, it is much easier to appreciate the film's subtleties, because "Life on a String" induces a culture shock that's not always easy to adapt to. Kaige uses slow pacing and narrative shorthand, leaving room for many interpretations while running the risk of being vague or misunderstood, especially by Western viewers.

But the film's strong undercurrent prevails, built upon the cumulative effect of its brilliant cinematography, which emphasizes throughout a deep connection to the elements of nature. Wind, water, sand and fire are a constant, breathtaking presence in the story, lending the film a primitive grace perfectly suited to its tale of tested faith and wisdom passed on through the ages.

Like Kaige's other films (including his 1987 feature "King of the Children," which plays at the Neptune Dec. 13 and 14), "Life on a String" is the kind of serious work that invites long, dryly academic essays in serious film journals, but Kaige himself warns against the hazards of overanalyzing his work.

Perhaps that is why the film works best on an intuitive level. Through its moving folk songs (co-written by Kaige) and the compelling central performance by Liu Zhongyuan, "Life on a String" provides a hopeful defense against despair, finding truth in simplicity without being simplistic.