One Mile Above is a tale of perseverance

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      Starring Bryan Chang. In Mandarin with English subtitles. Rating not available.

      “Inspired by a true story,” this tale of perseverance and high-altitude chutzpah is clunky and obvious in places, and the ending is a bit abrupt. But it is also hugely entertaining and full of gorgeous, widescreen images that must have been extremely challenging to obtain.

      A rare coproduction between Taiwan and China, One Mile Above follows a Taipei man called Zhuan Shan (Bryan Chang) coping with the death of his beloved brother. The bro’s fondest wish was to complete a bicycle trip to Lhasa, the sacred capital of Tibet. Zhuan flies to Yunnan province to tackle the journey, dealing with hustlers and primitive conditions along the way, eventually hooking up with a more experienced cyclist (Li Xiaochuan).

      The literal ups and downs of a challenging mountain highway—with winter approaching, no less—provide the story’s meat. But there’s a growing bond between the rather unformed Taiwanese lad and the more outgoing, rather dessert-fixated mainlander. Zhuan also has a tentative connection with a young Tibetan widow (Li Tao), her small son, and their surprisingly Christian family.

      The film’s depiction of Chinese-Tibetan relations suggests an entirely happy arrangement, and there’s more active Buddhism displayed here than usually seen in a PRC film. I don’t know what all this means, politically, but it’s hard to fault the ingenious, visually stunning work of director Jiayi Du and cinematographer Jie Du. Michiru Oshima’s acoustic-guitar-driven score is a nice touch. And one fanciful bit, in which Zhuan passes out in a snowstorm and spies the spirit of his brother, is hard to forget.

      Watch the trailer for One Mile Above.

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