Cherries (2007, China)
Aichi Insurance Physicians’ Newspaper
December 2008
Cherry Blossoms: A Mother’s Journey is a gem of a film that brings to life rural China as it was half a century ago, when families lived self-sufficiently, cultivated terraced fields, and raised livestock and vegetables. Set in Yunnan Province in the 1980s, the film depicts a world of modest means, where families keep pigs and chickens and a meal consists of rice and a single side dish. A hardworking man with a physical disability marries a woman who cannot speak. For this impoverished couple, the simple pleasures of sharing meals and physical intimacy are among the few joys in life.
One day, while climbing a tree to eat her beloved cherries, the woman falls asleep. She awakens to the sound of a baby crying nearby. Delighted, she believes the child is a gift from heaven and carries the baby home. Her husband, however, objects. Distressed by the attention his wife gives the baby, he takes the child to a welfare institution. But her desperate pursuit and overwhelming maternal love eventually soften his heart, and they adopt the child.
The baby grows into a young girl, but at school she is taunted by classmates who call her mother stupid. Frustrated and ashamed, the girl takes her anger out on her mother. Unable to understand her daughter's feelings, the mother continues to shower her with all the pure, unconditional love she can give.
As the girl grows older, she teaches her mother to write. She also learns to stand up firmly to those who insult her mother. In this lonely household of three, a genuine bond of happiness gradually takes root. The daughter studies hard, becomes a doctor, and eventually speaks of how she learned to love her mother, who has an intellectual disability. The sweet-and-sour taste of cherries brings back memories of her mother's unconditional love.
Was the mother's intellectual disability accurately diagnosed? And although the father has a physical disability, he also plays the huqin, a traditional Chinese string instrument, bringing comfort to the villagers. This gentle side of him seems at odds with his abusive behavior at home. These questions aside, the film quietly invites us to reflect on the meaning of family against the backdrop of tranquil rural landscapes.
I remember my own childhood, when insults such as “idiot,” “fool,” and “your mother's a clown” flew freely among boys. The film also evokes the simpler countryside of a distant past, nearly half a century ago, and the world we have left behind.
