Life will always be a drama -- with the path to acquiring wisdom built upon mistakes that sometimes cause embarrassment, confusion, and hurt. The journey may be doubly dramatic for gifted individuals. With their exceptional natural talents, these are people burdened with the obligation to develop their skills, for what a waste it would be not to. The trick is to find the balance between a life devoted to the talent and the supposed normal life outside of it.

Director Chen Kaige (The Emperor and the Assassin) focuses on the journey of a gifted character -- 13-year-old violin prodigy Liu Xiaochun (Tang Yun) -- in Together. The winding drama is set into motion when Xiaochun's father, Liu Cheng (Liu Peiqi), a peasant from a village, takes his son to the big city, Beijing, to a violin competition. The opportunity to compete is rare, so both father and son are excited about their prospects -- however, once there, Cheng finds to his dismay that talent alone won't ensure success in a world where wealth and background play important roles. He thus enlists the help of a music professor, Prof. Jiang (Wang Zhiwen), to train his son.

That's easier said than done -- Xiaochun isn't a disobedient kid, but he has other interests outside the violin and seems intent on exploring those interests in this large new city. His curiosities prove to be a distraction, sapping any motivation he has in taking his craft seriously. While his father takes up every odd job available in order to pay for his son's training and a place for them to stay, Xiaochun tries to make his own money on the side, playing the violin at the request of a new friend, the youthful and rather spoiled socialite Lili (Chen Hong).

Together offers an interesting scenario involving Xiaochun and Cheng -- both want what's best for the other but their ideologies don't intersect. Cheng wants his son to have success at all costs -- he's not above begging and constantly prostrates himself before others; his modus operandi is to pester others until they say yes to his humble, pathetic requests. He does this because he knows his son's talent is the key to his son's fortune and a life worth living. Xiaochun, however, often feels embarrassed by his father's antics. He'd rather they find a way to live with some dignity, and sees this obsessive quest for violin lessons as getting in the way of that.

But somewhere along the way, Xiaochun learns what the value of his talent is to him and to those he cares for. Sounds a bit warm-and-fuzzy, doesn't it? Chen's movie isn't going to stand out among the numerous other inspirational heartwarmers out there, especially since this one has a standard-issue tearjerker of an ending in store (don't worry, nobody dies or anything like that). But Together moves along with a comfortably natural pace, each episode softly leading into the next. Little of it feels forced as the characters all run into several unplanned events, going through life as if playing it by ear. These characters, who all have a thing or two to learn about life, are charmingly real and earn our empathy. The film allows them to confront such invisible human weaknesses as complacency and materialism, while providing the audience a peek at classism and the cold nature of obtaining success in the classical music world.

All of this may work so well that you might not mind its gloriously sappy finale. I'll admit it -- I was tearing up at the end. But then, I could really feel for the kid. The hardest part of growing up with a great talent is knowing what to do with it. It requires not only consideration for what it would do for your own life, but possibly for others around you as well. Together is an assured illustration of this fascinating life conundrum.

(Released with English subtitles by MGM/UA and rated "PG" for mild language and thematic elements.)

Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com.