coming of age

6

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).

Image result for not one less

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!

 

7

Kikujiro (Japan)

Click the poster to buy the DVD and open up Japan!

Kikujiro Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Want to experience Japan without paying the expensive flight tickets? Then watch Kikujiro. You’ll travel the cities and country of Japan with little Masao and Kikujiro and do things that probably aren’t in the guide books, like betting on bike races and having fun at a local fair. You’ll also get a beautiful soundtrack from Joe Hisaishi to go with it all!

Why Watch Kikujiro?
  • If you like coming-of-age films or road trip movies! This one is inspired by The Wizard of Oz!
  • For some cool camera shots. Look out for one shot from the inside of a glass, and another shot from a car hub-cab.
  • For another Kitano classic (check out his gangster flick Hana-bi for something different)
  • It’s a postcard tour of Japan – watch this if you want to go to Japan!
The Breakdown

Kikujiro starts with a slow motion shot of a young boy running across a pedestrian bridge. He is smiling and is wearing a backpack with little wings attached to it. The camera follows him as he runs from one side of the bridge to the other.

The young boy, Masao, is described as a ‘gloomy kid.’ His parents left him when he was a baby and he has grown up with his grandmother ever since. You start to feel sorry for him as soon as his school finishes for the summer holidays. He runs home by himself, he lets himself into the house by himself, and eats a plate of food left for him on the table by himself. He’s all alone with no parents. The next morning, he walks to football practice but the instructor tells him that the session is cancelled because of the summer vacation. He plays by himself for a bit before going home. Poor Masao! He just wants a friend!

He doesn’t get a friend, but one of his grandmother’s friends (Kikujiro) reluctantly takes him to find his mum. Their journey takes us through a diverse range of life in Japan. First, Kikujiro takes Masao to the cycle races as a good luck totem for his betting. After he strikes a bit of luck, we are taken into a strip club and a Japanese diner. Later we are taken to a local fair, a hotel resort, and even end up at a bus stop in the country which is reminiscent of the bus stop in My Neighbour Totoro. Watch Kikujiro to experience Japan!

Conclusion

Just like The Wizard of Oz, Masao comes across a rabble of people from different walks of life. They all allow Masao to escape his loneliness for the summer holidays. Kikujiro shows the versatility of director Kitano as he ranges from Yakuza gangster film Hana-bi to this endearing coming-of-age film.

 

8

Lamb – See a Patriarchy Struggling to Get By

Ephraim in Lamb

Lamb Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Beautiful scenery, beautifully shot, Lamb could be a travel commercial for the Ethiopian tourist board. But the beautiful landscape can’t be fully enjoyed by Ephraim and his family as they’ve run out of food. The worst of each of them shows itself on film as they struggle to get by – will Ephraim’s beloved lamb survive?

From: Ethiopia, Africa
Watch: Trailer, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Pather Panchali, Rams, Abouna
Continue reading “Lamb – See a Patriarchy Struggling to Get By”
9

The Colours of the Mountain (Colombia)

The Colors of the Mountain Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

Buy by clicking on the poster or find it elsewhere!

Watch The Colors of the Mountain to see the beauty and ugliness of Colombia side by side. See beauty in the lush vegetation, innocent school children, and peaceful life in the countryside. And see ugliness in the spreading war between the local guerillas and paramilitaries. Luckily for tourists, the ugliness of the war has subsided. And luckily for film viewers, Colombia is still producing great films, just go and watch Embrace of the Serpent after this one.

Why Watch The Colors of the Mountain?
  • For a great coming-of-age film (for more coming-of-age films check out Kids Return, The Wounded Angel)
  • See the beautiful Colombian countryside and the people that live in it
  • Witness how the war between the guerillas and the paramilitary groups affected life in Colombia (for something similar, see Silvered Water which follows a young kid living in the Syrian war zone)
  • See how arepas are made!
The Breakdown

The Colors of the Mountain starts with a shot of a small house in the lush Colombian countryside. A boy with a football in his arms runs down the drive and into the rolling fields across from his house. The countryside is full of sounds of insects, birds, and frogs, and you can almost feel the heat. The boy runs to his friend’s house and persuades him to come and play football.

This is their simple, peaceful life. They wake up, eat, and either go to school or play football. 9-year old Manuel’s parents are always around the house, tending to their two cows, fixing the house, or cooking. Life is good.

However, the signs of trouble become more and more obvious. The first sign of danger is the graffitti written across the wall of the school in red: ‘el pueblo con las armas, vencer o morir’. This roughly translates to ‘the town with weapons, conquer or die’. Secondly, the potential danger is confirmed in Manuel’s Dad. When Manuel and his Dad are milking their cow, his Dad spots four men in ponchos walking up to their house. You can just make out the butt of a machine gun on one of them, protruding from their clothes. Manuel’s Dad urgently grabs Manuel and runs him into their house to hide. His reaction confirms the threat of the men in ponchos, and the danger they live with which is largely unnoticed by Manuel and his friends.

Conclusion

The Colors of the Mountain shows us the danger posed by both the Guerillas and the Paramilitaries in rural Colombia. It also shows us how normal life can temporarily appear in a war zone. For those that want to see Colombia in all it’s beauty and ugliness, this one is for you.

 

 

10

3 Idiots – A Feel Good College Buddy, Road Trip Musical

3 Idiots

3 Idiots Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Why Watch 3 Idiots?

  • It’s a feel good movie led by one of the best friends ever
  • It taps into many genres you’ll be familiar with from Hollywood blockbusters
  • For a bromance and love story that’ll make you forget it’s flaws
From: India, Asia
Watch: Trailer, JustWatch, Netflix, Amazon Prime
Next: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, PK, Y Tu Mama Tambien
Continue reading “3 Idiots – A Feel Good College Buddy, Road Trip Musical”