Not One Less

Chinese Director Zhang Yimou claims to have auditioned 40,000 young girls before he cast Wei Minzhi as the 13 year old teacher in his latest film called Not One Less. That sounds unlikely but it does appear to be fact that Yimou squeaked this film past the Chinese authorities with even more difficulty than his previous efforts.
Raise The Red Lantern, Red Sorgham, The Story of Qui Ju and Shanghai Triad have less of a matter of fact feel about them, are more stylish. Not One Less even features something of a "Hollywood", all ends well ending, but apparently the Chinese have made true the "may you live in interesting times" adage for Yimou.
Not One Less tells the story of thirteen year old Wei who is put in charge of an impoverished school for a month while the teacher travels to see to his ailing mother.
She's not a trained teacher and is hardly older or more educated than her charges. She struggles on, avoiding the children as much as possible, but gradually finds her feet within her limited abilities. This town can't afford trained relief teachers.
Her most important job is too maintain the numbers of the class so that the school can get its subsidy, but first one then another of her students fails to attend.
The first is sent away on an athletic scholarship, not Wei's fault, but the second absconds to the city in the hope of earning money for his ill mother. Wei sets off to the city to find him and bring him back.
Not One Less is absolutely charming on a number of levels and fascinating on others. The matter of fact depiction of life in an impoverished Chinese village in the seventies is intriguing for well off Westerners like myself, and the richness of personality of children the world over is given a loving treatment by Yimou.
The children's efforts to earn money to send Wei off on her quest is funny and poignant, if a trifle exaggerated I would think, but still ultimately believable in essence if not in scale. And then Wei's search for help in the city adds depth.
Zhang Yimou's film has the ring of truth, in almost the same way as the films of the great English working class directors Mick Leigh and Ken Loach.
The unsophisticated Wei's encounter with the strangeness of the city is unforgettable and in particular her mute reaction to being placed in front of a television camera. Not One Less is memorable and won Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival.

4 Zhang Yimou Flys

E Mail