When we think of Chinese films that have addressed the topic of the Cultural Revolution, for the most part, we think of the Lost Generation One thing that [The Road] departs from is this stereotype. On one level, this film represents a film of deep historical interest, in tracing the life of one woman who has lived from the Cultural Revolution to the present. On another level, as the refrain of a once-popular tune in the film suggests, the film represents a nostalgic tribute to a lost sense of community. Even though there is nothing to ultimately distinguish good people from bad and the main character ultimately loses her love, she also doesn′t have much to complain about either. Actress Zhang Jing Chu, who plays the lead character, possesses an image well suited to portraying the ambitious heroine who has experienced both the triumphs and defeats of her 40 or so years of life. She becomes one of the main reasons that this film manages to look uncontrived even as it adopts a seemingly over-optimistic attitude towards a Chinese history checkered with poverty and tragedy. (Kim Young-jin)