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1
No place like home.
Based on an award winning novel, Northward is a heartwarming and realistic coming of age and cultural heritage story about a number of Jiangnan youths who grew up along the Grand Canal. The story opens with the lively and carefree young kids from Flower Street cavorting mischievously in the canal under the indulgent, watchful eyes of their community. One day, Granny Ma's exotic granddaughter Siyi, a solemn and lonely lost child, comes to live with her. The neighbourhood embraces her warmly and the kids rally around her protectively. The drama captures the communal spirit of the early 2000s, where the hard working families of Flower Street are by no means rich but by pooling their resources, they share each others burdens and navigate life's ups and downs together. All the child actors were superb and well cast. They made me invested in all of the characters from the get go; from the ringleader Wanghe, the steadfast Haikuo, the studious Chen Rui, the resentful Xingzhi and Huazi the tomboy with a heart of gold.
Into their teen years, the realities of life and changing times intrude upon the idyllic times along the canal. The advent of superhighways and high speed trains make it more difficult for the citizens along the canal to make a living from the waterway. As their families struggle to make ends meet, the young friends vow to head north to Beijing for college with big, life changing dreams. Time moves too slowly for the young friends as they grapple with their parents’ financial and personal struggles—their strengths, weaknesses, and all-too-human imperfections. Life's challenges overwhelm the burgeoning attraction some of them start to feel for each other. In such a close-knit community, everyone is so closely tangled into everyone's lives that there are no real secrets between them. There is as much laughter as there are tears to go around as all too soon some of them discover that actions have consequences, some that are irreversible. This was by far the best arc as veteran actors including Hu Jun and Li Naiwen anchor immersive performances from the younger ensemble cast to authentically bring to life the joys, sufferings, regrets, and human failings of three generations of Flower Street.
The narrative loses its early charm in the later Beijing arcs. The business plots are realistically written and reflect the intense competition and challenges faced by the food delivery and courier services in China. In pursuit of their dreams, the young friends discover there is no place like home. The denizens of the big city are harsh, duplicitous and calculating. They discover triumphs are hard won after many sacrifices, setbacks and betrayals and they can only have each others backs. Conflicts arise as they search for their own bottom lines in the ruthless battle for business survival. What I didn't like is that they remained such a clique that none of them really let anyone else into their lives. Even Haikuo never really tried to include his girlfriend in their closed circle. I'd have liked to see Wanghe have a real love rival and Huazi not be so absolute and single minded in her feelings. I also wish Huazi had made her health choices for herself and not because of anyone else. But my biggest criticism of the character stories has to do with how Siyi simply ghosted everyone. That was profoundly selfish and cruel in a way that destroyed her character for me. I was also a bit disappointed that the unresolved issues between Siyi and Wanghe and to some extent even Chen Rui were just swept under the rug. The ending was a little bit too good to be true but I loved all the characters so much that its not a real gripe.
All of the young actors deliver heartfelt performances with Li Wanda and Zhai Zilu best capturing that sense of adolescent turmoil and displacement. Even though they were still credible, both Ou Hao and Bai Lu struggled more with the teen years. Past thirty, it is incredibly difficult for actors to recapture that angsty uncertainty and unconscious radiance of youth. While the Beijing storyline falters in narrative cohesion, both Ou Hao and Bai Lu grow into their roles well as struggling young entrepreneurs so well that I understand the casting decision. I enjoyed watching Bai Lu take on this kind of tomboy role even though the braces and short hair did not make her look any less gorgeous. By design, Siyi was the most intriguing character in the story so I was disappointed by how Li Wanda's character got sidelined. All things considered a very enjoyable and moving slice of life story that I rate 8/10. The first half was notably stronger, tracking closer to an 8.5.
Into their teen years, the realities of life and changing times intrude upon the idyllic times along the canal. The advent of superhighways and high speed trains make it more difficult for the citizens along the canal to make a living from the waterway. As their families struggle to make ends meet, the young friends vow to head north to Beijing for college with big, life changing dreams. Time moves too slowly for the young friends as they grapple with their parents’ financial and personal struggles—their strengths, weaknesses, and all-too-human imperfections. Life's challenges overwhelm the burgeoning attraction some of them start to feel for each other. In such a close-knit community, everyone is so closely tangled into everyone's lives that there are no real secrets between them. There is as much laughter as there are tears to go around as all too soon some of them discover that actions have consequences, some that are irreversible. This was by far the best arc as veteran actors including Hu Jun and Li Naiwen anchor immersive performances from the younger ensemble cast to authentically bring to life the joys, sufferings, regrets, and human failings of three generations of Flower Street.
The narrative loses its early charm in the later Beijing arcs. The business plots are realistically written and reflect the intense competition and challenges faced by the food delivery and courier services in China. In pursuit of their dreams, the young friends discover there is no place like home. The denizens of the big city are harsh, duplicitous and calculating. They discover triumphs are hard won after many sacrifices, setbacks and betrayals and they can only have each others backs. Conflicts arise as they search for their own bottom lines in the ruthless battle for business survival. What I didn't like is that they remained such a clique that none of them really let anyone else into their lives. Even Haikuo never really tried to include his girlfriend in their closed circle. I'd have liked to see Wanghe have a real love rival and Huazi not be so absolute and single minded in her feelings. I also wish Huazi had made her health choices for herself and not because of anyone else. But my biggest criticism of the character stories has to do with how Siyi simply ghosted everyone. That was profoundly selfish and cruel in a way that destroyed her character for me. I was also a bit disappointed that the unresolved issues between Siyi and Wanghe and to some extent even Chen Rui were just swept under the rug. The ending was a little bit too good to be true but I loved all the characters so much that its not a real gripe.
All of the young actors deliver heartfelt performances with Li Wanda and Zhai Zilu best capturing that sense of adolescent turmoil and displacement. Even though they were still credible, both Ou Hao and Bai Lu struggled more with the teen years. Past thirty, it is incredibly difficult for actors to recapture that angsty uncertainty and unconscious radiance of youth. While the Beijing storyline falters in narrative cohesion, both Ou Hao and Bai Lu grow into their roles well as struggling young entrepreneurs so well that I understand the casting decision. I enjoyed watching Bai Lu take on this kind of tomboy role even though the braces and short hair did not make her look any less gorgeous. By design, Siyi was the most intriguing character in the story so I was disappointed by how Li Wanda's character got sidelined. All things considered a very enjoyable and moving slice of life story that I rate 8/10. The first half was notably stronger, tracking closer to an 8.5.
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