Tuya de hun shi (Tuya's Marriage) (2006)

89% of critics liked it
(35 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(1,782 ratings)

A reserved Mongolian bride diagnosed with a debilitating back injury enters into an unusual agreement with her disabled husband in Lunar Eclipse director Wang Quan'an's Golden Berlin Bear-winning entry into the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival. Peasant Tuya (Yu Nan) is a happily married… More A reserved Mongolian bride diagnosed with a debilitating back injury enters into an unusual agreement with her disabled husband in Lunar Eclipse director Wang Quan'an's Golden Berlin Bear-winning entry into the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival. Peasant Tuya (Yu Nan) is a happily married mother of two whose husband Bater is permanently disabled. One day, after hard-working Tuya collapses in the fields while straining to perform her rigorous duties, the local doctor diagnoses her with a lumbar dislocation. Subsequently unable to care for her invalid husband, Tuya and Bater agree to divorce so that the ailing woman can wed a husband capable of caring for both of them. Though several suitors throw their hat into the ring upon hearing that Tuya is available, each is immediately put off upon learning that Bater is part of the deal as well. The only man who seems willing to consider caring for both is divorced oil tycoon Baolier, who, as a smitten young schoolboy, was once good friends with the kindly Tuya. When a sudden tragedy strikes, threatening Bater's life, however, Baolier's true intentions open the door for Tuya's cuckolded neighbor Sen'ge to step in and save the day. At first simply thankful for the benevolent intervention of the shy but likable Sen'ge, Tuya slowly begins to realize just how deep the lovelorn Sen'ge's feelings for her truly run. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By: Quanan Wang
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 21, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Oct 28, 2008
Studio: Music Box Films

Critic Reviews

Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
This 2006 drama is refreshing not only for its gentle comic touches but for director Wang Quanan's refusal to sentimentalize China's vanishing nomadic culture: life is harsh and no one's a saint, including his outspoken heroine.
Derek Elley, Variety
Made with a scrupulous attention to the slow-moving realities of grasslands life but lacking in dramatic heft.
Bruce Demara, Toronto Star
Director Wang Quan'an shows us a China of contrasts and in transition, where a life of traditional farming is harder than ever to sustain while life in the nearest city includes nice hotels, decent health care and good schools.
Kamal Al-Solaylee, Globe and Mail
For those who are still reeling from the forced exuberance of Mamma Mia! but have room for one more film about a woman with multiple suitors, may I recommend Tuya's Marriage?
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
A strong addition to the burgeoning canon of China's so-called Sixth Generation filmmakers.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Tuya's Marriage is thoroughly gratifying in its consistent inventiveness and has a grasp of human nature so universal that there's no feeling of the exotic about the film and its people.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
An authentic Mongolian romantic comedy, perhaps the first.
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
Nan Yu's work as the titular character and Sen'ge's performance as her nemesis/potential partner carry the film through some of the narrative rough patches
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
Inspired to capture the ebbing traditions of his mother's Mongolian heritage, director pays touching tribute to a strong woman who finally has no choice but to cry.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
A hugely entertaining movie -- surprisingly contemporary, always incisive and often very funny. And heartbreaking.
Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
A lovely and sad film.
Sarah Boslaugh, Playback:stl
The film works on a very human level ... because Wang neither romanticizes the Mongolian peasants nor overemphasizes the difficulties they face.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
[Yu Nan] owns the role of Tuya, delivering a wide-ranging performance that might be called 'star-making' if she didn't already suggest the confidence of an established star.
Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Tuya is majestically played by Beijing actress Yu Nan.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Thanks to the film's vivid, realistic atmosphere -- complete with chilly winds and hot milk tea -- many... scenes work remarkably well.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Tuya's Marriage," Tuya(Yu Nan) not only has to take care of her crippled husband, Bater(Bater), and their two children, but also their flock of sheep. Things only get worse when helping a neighbor, Shenge(Shenge), who is trapped beneath his… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Tuya's Marriage," Tuya(Yu Nan) not only has to take care of her crippled husband, Bater(Bater), and their two children, but also their flock of sheep. Things only get worse when helping a neighbor, Shenge(Shenge), who is trapped beneath his truck, she throws out her back, risking paralysis if she continues with her arduous tasks. So, the only thing to do is to divorce her husband and get married again. But instead of letting her sister-in-law take care of him, she has a sole condition for her potential new husband that he also has to take care of the old husband.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]It is not that life is tough in Inner Mongolia where "Tuya's Marriage" is filmed.(But the consumption of alcohol is much higher than normal...) It is just that there is so very little room for error, due to a hard landscape and a natural isolation that might mean a long wait if something calamitous did happen.(A series of chance meetings evens the odds somewhat but clashes with the movie's naturalism.) This setting leads to some tough choices where sentiment might not otherwise come into it but it does for Tuya. The audience is left wondering if Tuya did make the right decision. That sort of ambiguity is definitely the right choice for any filmmaker.[/font]
Leo L

An interesting movie that centralizes around the life of a hard-working woman who struggles to uphold her home as well as her family.