Old Friends in Mountains and Rivers [Film and TV Commentary]

In 1999, in Fenyang County, Shanxi, a cheerful girl Shen Tao (Zhao Tao) (played by Liang Jingdong) and the coal mine boss Zhang Jinsheng (played by Zhang Yi). The love triangle of one woman and two men cannot maintain a long-term balance. The friendship between Liang Zi and Jin Sheng broke down. When Taoer gets married, some people choose to live far away. In 2014, due to long-term work in the coal mine, Liang Zi's health had reached an irreversible point. In his last moments, he returned to his hometown with his wife and children. At this time, Shen Tao and Jin Sheng had divorced, and Jin Sheng lived in Shanghai with his children. When they reach middle age, both of them can't help but stand on the boundary between life, separation and death. In 2025, Dao Le (played by Dong Zijian), who only speaks English, is very estranged from his father, but he and his Chinese teacher Mia (played by Zhang Sijia) have become a year-end friend. He longs to be free from his father's control and longs for "freedom" that he doesn't even know what it means.