In this on-demand age of e-mail and FedEx, ''Postmen in the Mountains'' runs the risk of being viewed as quaint ancient history.

Huo Jianqi's 1998 film tells the story of a Chinese mailman who walks his arduous rural route one last time before fully entrusting the job to his son, and it's the kind of old-fashioned sentimental journey that could just as easily be animated and set to a Phil Collins score. It would be a mistake to view this film's gentle and classically pretty surface as a sign that it's irrelevant, however. The early 1980s era that ''Postmen'' evokes is hardly bygone -- many folks in this part of the world still get their mail in weeks rather than days -- and the generation gap it nurtured is a key part of what defines China today.

The film's docudrama-style narrative, adapted by Si Wu from a short story by Peng Jianming, begins as a 24-year-old (Liu Ye) is preparing to take over the postal duties of his father (Teng Rujan) in remote Hunan. When the loyal family dog can't be coaxed into guiding the young man through his first three-day trek alone, the father goes along too, to see that the torch is properly passed.

''Postmen in the Mountains'' recalls countless road movies, but it's perhaps most like Zhang Yimou's ''The Road Home'' in that it doesn't care much for sensationalizing, despite many opportunities to ratchet up the drama. If ''Postmen'' were a Hollywood film, there'd be at least a missing mailbag or a fatal misstep on the mountain or something. Instead, a collection of otherwise unremarkable vignettes and flashbacks presents many quietly telling moments that bring a lump to the throat -- as when the young man carries his dad across a stream, reducing the stoic father to tears by a remembrance of when their roles were reversed.

Huo and cinematographer Zhao Lei want ''Postmen'' to approximate the artistry of Chinese landscape paintings, and in spite of choppy editing, their efforts do fill the screen with much visual splendor.

Teng is perfectly cast as the retiring postman who cares for every person on his mail route but up until now has understood little of the toll his job has taken on his family. His expressive portrayal conveys a nonverbal sadness, and he's sympathetic despite evidence of real neglect.

Liu, as the son, is more transparent but doesn't overplay it. Even when the young man doesn't understand why Dad won't hop a bus between delivery stops or seek official recognition for his extraordinary service, he remains controlled and respectful, getting the disappointment across without any tantrums. You can't help but think that more things in this world should be so old-fashioned                                   -Janice Page