Mitu de Gaoyang: A Quiet, Dusty Window into Loneliness

Is it worth your time?

If you have the patience for a film that refuses to rush, yes. It is a slow, melancholy sort of watch. If you need explosions or a plot that moves at the speed of a bullet, you are going to be checking your watch by the twenty-minute mark.

It’s the kind of movie that feels like it was filmed in a house that still smells like old paper and tea. I really liked that.

The City vs. The Village

The boy’s transition from the village to the concrete sprawl of Shanghai is handled with such little fanfare. It’s not some grand dramatic montage with swelling music. He just sort of arrives, and the city looks like it wants to swallow him whole.

There is this one shot of him standing in a hallway that lingers for just a few seconds too long. You can see him trying to shrink into his own coat. It’s a small, heartbreaking detail that tells you everything you need to know about his discomfort.

The Dynamic

The relationship between the boy and the old man is messy. It isn't the heartwarming "grandfather-grandson" trope you see in movies like The Canyon of Light. There is a real distance between them, even when they are sitting at the same table.

The old man is wealthy, but he lives like a hermit. He has all this space and nothing to do with it. You can almost feel the dust settling on his furniture in real-time. It’s uncomfortable in a way that feels very honest.

• The lighting in the study is incredibly dim, which I found annoying and brilliant all at once.
• The kid barely says a word for the first half, which is a bold choice for a lead.
• The sound design is just city noise and footsteps. It makes everything feel very claustrophobic.

A Few Thoughts

The movie doesn't bother explaining why the old man is so lonely. It doesn't need to. Sometimes a character is just a sad person in a big room. I appreciated that the film didn't force a backstory down my throat.

Chusheng Cai knows how to use silence. There’s a scene where they’re eating, and the only sound is the clink of porcelain. It reminded me a bit of the pacing in The Man in Search of His Murderer, where the silence is actually a character itself. Or maybe I’m just projecting.

It’s not a perfect film. It sags in the middle. The pacing is a bit like a leaky faucet—drip, drip, drip. But there is a soul to it that is hard to shake off once the screen goes black.

If you like films that just sit with a person for a while, give this a go. Just maybe don't watch it when you're already feeling a bit blue. ☕