Not one less movie synopsis Rating:
7,1/10
1446
reviews
Not One Less is a 1999 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yimou. The film follows the story of Wei Minzhi, a 13-year-old girl who is tasked with substitute teaching at a remote elementary school in rural China. Wei Minzhi is inexperienced and initially struggles to maintain control of her unruly class.
One of the students, a boy named Zhang Huike, decides to leave the school and go to the city to find work, hoping to earn money to help support his impoverished family. Wei Minzhi is determined to not let any of her students drop out and sets out on a journey to bring Zhang Huike back to the school.
As she travels to the city, Wei Minzhi encounters many challenges and obstacles, including harsh weather, lack of money, and a language barrier. Despite these difficulties, she persists and eventually finds Zhang Huike working at a factory. She convinces him to return to school and the two of them make their way back to the school together.
Upon their return, Wei Minzhi is hailed as a hero and praised for her dedication to her students. The film ends with Wei Minzhi and Zhang Huike sitting in a classroom, looking at a blackboard with the words "Not One Less" written on it, symbolizing the importance of education and the value of every individual student.
Not One Less is a poignant and heartwarming film that highlights the importance of education and the determination of one young girl to make a difference in the lives of her students. It is a powerful reminder of the transformative power of education and the enduring strength of the human spirit.
Not One Less (1999) directed by Zhang Yimou • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd
Fortunately, Yi Mou glossed over the danger penniless young people can face in the city. The summary was very well written and concise while covering the main themes of the movie. You made a valid argument. That she is near penniless and forced to scavenge food and sleep in the streets much like Hui Ke never seems to occur to her. We watch as the class clown makes life miserable for Wei.
Wei is focused on the one thing that matters most, her stipend. Both Wei and her students are children. The film ends with a series of title cards that recount the actions of the characters after the film ends, and describe the problem of poverty in rural education in China. This isn't one of those movies where the inspired teacher awakens the minds and spirits of her class; Wei copies lessons on the board and blocks the door. She is limited to one piece of chalk for each day the regular teacher is absent. I love how you added a Chinese translation and names in Chinese, it gives us the option to chose either one.
On the mid-autumn festival night, they sang loudly outside the Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre, to let their comrades know that they were not abandoned. This movie is a really good movie because it shows the growth in human nature. The regular schoolmaster is absent because he is attending to his terminally ill mother. Even with their work they can't come up with enough cash. Teacher Gao loves the students in his poor village and is devoted to educating them in the hope of their greater futures. Unlike the village where everyone knows everyone else, the city is filled with mostly hostile strangers, even those with cell phones who sleep in the bus station. Good job with your review! Your movie review was also very informative, it shows the events of the movie in chronological order and its very well written.
Eventually, Wei does make it to the city where the little boy is lost as it turns out. Story may look depressing but it's full of extremely happy moments throughout the movie. When Gao discovers that Wei does not have a high school education and has no special talents, he instructs her to teach by copying his texts onto the board and then making the students copy them into their notebooks; he also tells her not to use more than one piece of chalk per day, because the village is too poor to afford more. The majority of the characters were played by local people using their real names. An unqualified young girl is a substitute teacher for a bunch of poor kids and when one of them leaves to the city she goes on a long journey to find him. The city is dangerous for a young, uneducated boy. I learned a lot from this movie such as more about the Chinese culture It was so interesting to see the culture of Northern China.
I can understand why she loves this film so much. It is simple, unadorned, and direct. This review may contain spoilers Director Zhang Yi Mou left Gong Li and Zhang Zi Yi behind along with his penchant for saturated colors and rousing scores. The director draws a simple but moving social portrait that addresses issues of poverty, education and child labour, as well as the perennial rural-urban dichotomy always filled with contrast. I think it was an act of luck that it worked out the way it did. This is not an easy task.
Reading the article was like me re watching the entire movie all over again due to the detail of this article. . The movie review had the major plot points, obstacles. You can help by adding some! I really appreciate how your wrote two reviews, one in English and one in Chinese. Setup is genuine, no need to check I can tell by seeing it. Work is exhausting and the rewards are meager! Not One Less made me think of a shepherd searching for a lost sheep in a flock of indifferent sheep.
I have seen this movie and I highly recommend it due to its educational factors and also being a very enjoyable and interesting movie. A brief and simple moment that says so much. Much better than the country. I loved reading your review about the movie, and I hope you continue to write articles for The Daily China! Thanks for this amazing article. It reminded me a little bit of my time in China going to Kindergarten. I won't say more about the real feelings of movie because it may spoil you.
Heartbreaking conditions, ruined building, no facilities, poverty. The first part of the film records the details of day-to-day life at an elementary school in an isolated, poverty stricken corner of modern China. Wei was ultimately changed by this harrowing experience. Early in the month, a sports recruiter comes to take one athletic girl, Ming Xinhong, to a special training school; unwilling to let any students leave, Wei hides Ming, and when the village mayor Tian Zhenda finds her, Wei chases after their car in a futile attempt to stop them; and yet they, the sports recruiter and mayor, first notice and comment on Wei's running ability, endurance, and tenacity. There are surface-level beats that are outwardly propagandistic, but the subtext of the moment tends to undercut them.
