The Nightingale (2015)

The Nightingale (2015) is a bit cloying but lets us feast on sumptuous landscapes across China as a grandfather reconnects with his precocious young granddaughter during a cross-country trip from Beijing to his old village, where he hopes to fulfill a promise made to his wife before losing her more than 18 years previously. The trip does not go as planned, and complications embed themselves one after another, but the grandfather welcomes and adapts to change, although his estranged son and daughter-in-law are high-profile urban professionals who would probably kill him if they knew the details. The granddaughter has been weaned on her iPhone and iPad and can be a bit snotty; she once even throws her grandfather’s iPhone into the bushes because it is a 4S and hence “old.” In time, she learns the joys of playing with children, swimming outdoors, and exploring nature. Meanwhile, dark clouds border on the privileged but disappointing marriage shared by her parents. The last 5 minutes wrap a tidy bow on the otherwise organically developed story, with a happy ending for all. The nightingale is the adaptive and unifying metaphor. This is a gorgeous movie and a sweet story that I would watch again in a heartbeat (and can, since after returning the DVD, I see it is now available via streaming). 4.5 stars. (4-25-2016)