china

1

Not One Less (China) – 13 Year Old Teacher, What Could Go Wrong?

Not One Less Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

What do you do when you mother is dying and you need to find a replacement teacher to do your job whilst you go visit her? You find a 13 year old girl from a neighboring town that hasn’t been to high school to take over from you for a month. What could go wrong? Find out here (buy to watch on Amazon).

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Why Watch Not One Less?
  • Learn from the world’s youngest substitute teacher – a 13 year old girl from rural China
  • For a 5 minute teaching masterclass – who needs qualifications?
  • Experience life as a kid in rural China and see how it contrasts with life as a kid in the city
  • If you like Italian neo-realism and/or coming of age films
The Breakdown

Not One Less starts with the arrival of the substitute teacher named Wei. She’s only 13 and hasn’t completed high school yet. But as it’s just a month and this rural town has no one else remotely qualified to teach their kids, she seems like a great option.

Before the actual teacher goes, he gives her a 5 minute 101 in teaching. Here are the golden rules:

  • Let the students go home, when the sunlight reaches this stick
  • Copy these lessons for the students to write – one a day
  • Don’t use too much chalk (it’s expensive)
  • Sing one song a day

It doesn’t sound too hard. As he leaves, he promises to give her 50 Yuan for her month’s work, and an extra 10 if she keeps all the students until he gets back. Just for perspective, a ticket to town on the bus costs around 20 Yuan. The pay is poor, but it’s what drives this 13 year old substitute teacher – she does whatever she can to keep these kids until the teacher returns for that extra 10 Yuan.

However, as you’ll see, this extra clause is a harder than it might seem. Firstly, as expected, she’s not a great teacher. She doesn’t ‘teach’ the kids, as she just writes on the board, tells the kids to copy it down, and sits outside the exit to block anyone from escaping early. Secondly, her students are poor. One is moved to an athletic school under the promise that her life might be better elsewhere, and another is taken out of school to go work in the city. So what does she do? She turns her lessons into a mission to get them back to school encouraging the students to help her in her quest.  If it weren’t for the promise of money, she would be the most caring teacher in the world.

Conclusion and What to Watch Next

Wei learns a lot in this film, and so do we. We learn about the Chinese education system, poverty, work, local politics, salesmanship, marketing, the consequences of cheating, and more. Even though this film is about teaching, it shows us that the most valuable lessons are learned outside the classroom in life itself. To learn about China and life in general, go watch this film!

For more great Chinese film, check out the following:

  • The Road Home: for another film from Zhang Yimou – this one’s an emotional romance
  • A Touch of Sin: a bleak, politically charged portrayal of contemporary Chinese society
  • The Assassin: An art-house Martial Arts film with beautiful cinematography and choregraphy

Or, if you’re looking for more coming-of-age films in which kids are forced to grow up quickly, check out Mustang from Turkey and Abouna from Chad. I’d even recommend watching the heartwarming Kikujiro from Takeshi Kitano as well!

 

2

The Assassin – Live the Art of an Assassin in 8th Century China

The Assassin Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

You may have seen a lot of films without really paying attention to how they’re put together. But to get the most out of The Assassin you’ll need to become aware of the subtleties on camera. Everything is set up to celebrate the art of the assassin and it’s just beautiful!

Why Watch The Assassin?
  • It’s one of the most beautiful films of the 2010s!
  • To immerse yourself in 8th Century China
  • If you’re a fan of martial arts and want to see the art of an assassin
  • Because it Hou Hsiao-hsien won Best Director for this film at Cannes
The Breakdown

The Assassin is set in 8th century China when the Tang dynasty is in decline. It’s based on the story of Nie Yinniang written by Pei Xing, a writer from Tang dynasty era China. Sometimes knowing the origin material of the film isn’t that important, but knowing the story of Nie Yinniang will help you get the most out of watching The Assassin. Check out a short summary below!

Summary of Nie Yinniang

(Mostly based on info from the internet – for more in depth summary and background to The Assassin check out this article on Taipei Notes)

The Tang crown prince sends his tenth daughter Princess Jiacheng and her twin sister to a nunnery for safety (from the Anlushan rebellion). Princess Jiacheng returns home when it’s safe, but her sister stays on and leads an order of assassins.

Later on, Princess Jiacheng marries Tian Xu (who holds power in the Weibo district of China) to secure peace in the region. The Princess adopts Tian Ji-an and gives birth to Yinniang, who both grow up as childhood friends. When they’re both older, the Princess gives two jade disks to Tian Ji-an and Yinniang to symbolize their future marriage. However, their relationship is broken off when Tian Xu marries his son to the daughter of one of his strongest allies. Yinniang is then sent to the Taoist nunnery to live with Princess Jiacheng’s assassin twin sister. She later returns when her old childhood friend has taken over from his father on orders to assassinate him.

The Breakdown continued

The Assassin is not like your usual martial arts film. Firstly, it helps to have a bit of background (as written above) as Hsiao-hsien rarely delves into any exposition. Secondly, the whole film is a piece of subtle beauty geared to celebrate the art of the assassin. And before you stop reading because I’m sounding a bit pretentious, I’ll try and demonstrate why.

For most of the film, the only thing you’ll hear is nature, from birds singing to the wind blowing. Similarly, for the most part, the shots are mid-distance and still. Both these things create calmness as the sounds are natural and the pictures are still. Think of the ambience/tone it creates as a still lake.

The stillness creates an environment for the assassin to showcase her skills. She must do her job without disturbing the serenity of her environment, or using our analogy, without splashing into the lake. And of course, she does this well. Firstly, she sneaks around the house of Tian Ji-an without making any noise (you’ll always hear the same natural noises in the background). Secondly, the director rarely breaks from mid-distance shots. When he does for the action scenes, the assassin deals with her victims quickly to avoid creating a disturbance or ripple. She never sticks out. Yinniang and the director, showcase the art of the assassin.

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Conclusion

I’m not sure how this film was overlooked by the Academy Awards after picking up the Best Director at Cannes. Perhaps, because many viewers come out a bit confused as the director chooses not to offer too much exposition.

If you take a moment to read up a bit of background before you watch this film (see above) and are up for delving deeper into a film than usual, by watching it more than once, this may well become one of your favorite films.

 

3

The Road Home (China) – Fall in Love with Zhang Yimou’s China

The Road Home Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Are you looking for a love story that will warm your heart? Or are you looking to explore rural China and all it’s customs and culture? Either way, check out The Road Home, a beautiful love story set in rural China directed by Zhang Yimou. Currently available to watch here on Amazon (for rent)

Why Watch The Road Home?
  • If you’re in the mood for a romantic love story
  • You’re a fan of Zhang Yimou’s martial arts films (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) and you want to see him explore something different
  • To learn about customs (and superstitions) in rural China
  • See how different school is in this film
The Breakdown

The first part of The Road Home is shot in the present day in dull black and white. Luo Yusheng arrives at his family home in rural China having traveled from his home in the city. His father has just died, and he’s come home to keep his mum company and sort out the funeral arrangements.

Tradition says you need to carry the dead all the way home whilst shouting out ‘this is the way home’ to remind them how to return. Yusheng’s mum is adamant that he must honor this tradition for their father. However, this tradition has rarely been carried out since the Cultural Revolution in the 60s and 70s. Whilst he’s figuring out what to do with his father’s body, the narrative switches to the story of Lusheng’s parents romantic courtship which has become a legend in their hometown.

Is this film a challenge to the state of Communism in China?

On the surface, The Road Home appears to be a regular love story. But, if you pay a bit more attention, you’ll see an underlying critique of the state of Communism in China.

In The Road Home, Zhang Yimou critiques the loss of culture. You’ll hear this first when the mayor says that the traditional burial mentioned above has not been done since the Cultural Revolution (a subtle jab against the Cultural Revolution for taking away part of Chinese Culture). But, more obviously the critique is present in the film’s portrayal of the past.

Whilst the present is shot in a dull black and white, the past is shot in vibrant colour. The colour reflects the emotion and hope embedded in the past, when the Communist Revolution was still young. In contrast the dull black and white of the present symbolises how the hope and optimism of the Communist Revolution has disintegrated and has taken culture and emotion with it.

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Conclusion & What To Watch Next

The Road Home is a beautiful love story set in rural China. Luckily for all of you who don’t want to settle for pure cheesy romance, there’s much more to this film than initially meets the eye. Because if you look carefully, you’ll see the subtle critique of the direction of Chinese Communism.

If you want more romance, click here to explore all the films under in our Love film category.

Or if you’re looking for more Chinese film, head over to our Chinese film page. We recommend checking out A Touch of Sin for a more brutal depiction of life in contemporary China.

 

4

Purple Butterfly (China) – Wartime Resistance

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Purple Butterfly Film Difficulty Ranking: 4

You might find Purple Butterfly confusing to watch at first. It’s not clear what’s going on because of the constant cutting and lack of dialogue. However, if you watch on, you’ll be rewarded with a film that is stylistically different from many you’ve seen and uniquely beautiful.

From: China, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Buy on Amazon,
Next: The Grandmaster, Summer Palace, Burning
Continue reading “Purple Butterfly (China) – Wartime Resistance”