2020-2021学年度第1期总第719期
Bidding farewell (P4-5)
山东省烟台第二中学 赵娜娜

Lead-in
Discussion
What destination is on your bucket list?
What do you expect to see in Xinjiang?
 

Set in Xinjiang, what elements may be included in the film A First Farewell?

While-reading
Read the text carefully and find what aspects of the film are covered.
 

Read the passage and answer the question.

What makes the film stand out?
the director’s dedication
The film is considered by the director, Wang Lina, to be a long poem dedicated to her hometown and childhood, who paid keen attention to Xinjiang’s environment, landscapes and cultures.

eye-catching visuals
 The film shows scenes of the vast Taklimakan Desert and symbolic populus euphratica (胡杨) forest in the region. The shots of the Corban Festival celebration and scenes of people gathering cotton, cattle being led through fields, and children surveying their home from the heights of a tree branch all provide insight into the daily lives of the local people.

focusing on the lives of children in the region
 The film centers on a young farm boy named Isa. Isa has a simple life: Besides studying, he tends to his deaf-mute mother and helps his father with their livestock (牲畜) every day. But the simple life comes to an end one winter. Isa’s older brother is being sent away to school, while his father wants to send his mother to a nursing home so that they can better focus on their land. His friend Kalbinur, for whom he harbors a crush (爱慕), is also set to move as her parents seek to provide their children with a better education. Now, the young boy has to be apart from all important figures in his life. Though he does not fully understand the idea of farewell, he learns to accept it. After all, farewell is an inevitable (不可避免的) chapter of life.

narrative purity
“The narrative (叙事的) purity enchanted us at first glance. The delicate sensitivity of this journey through the environments, landscapes, culture and characters of this region in northwestern China brings on the big screen a story with an intense (强烈的) and polite charm (魅力), full of humanity.” --Massimo Righetti

Language study

Sentence appreciation
 The film shows scenes of the vast Taklimakan Desert and symbolic populus euphratica (胡杨) forest in the region. The shots of the Corban Festival celebration and scenes of people gathering cotton, cattle being led through fields, and children surveying their home from the heights of a tree branch all provide insight into the daily lives of the local people.
这部电影展示了广袤的塔克拉玛干沙漠和新疆典型的胡杨。观众可以从下面的拍摄场景领略到当地人民的生活：人们采棉花、牛群穿过田野、孩子们在树枝上看着自己的家。

Post-reading
What aspects would you focus on if you shot a film about your hometown?
scenery?
unique customs?
landmark?
local stories?