User reviews

This Sino-French film breaks no particular new ground, is not strong on action or drama, and is unlikely to move you either to great joy, or to tears. Despite this, there is something innately satisfying about watching it, which defies casual analysis.

The story centres on two young men, Ma and Luo. Coming from "reactionary bourgeois" families in the city, they are sent by the Chinese authorities for "re-education" to a beautiful yet achingly backward and isolated community in the mountains. There they undertake menial work, live in comparative squalor, but predictably find love in the form of the same woman – known throughout the film simply as "the little seamstress".

While "Balzac…" will win few originality awards, its strength lies in execution.

Sijie Dai manages to tell his story (which is semi-autobiographical) in a straightforward way. The local party chief is ignorant and officious without ever descending into malignancy. Ma and Luo are engaging without being overtly benevolent. The "peasants" are ignorant without being stupid. As love blossoms, the emotion of the film moves from repression to longing.

There are some wonderful, poignant moments in the film too, which underscore the mood. The local party chief exclaims early in the film "revolutionary peasants will never be corrupted by filthy bourgeois chicken"; Ma and Luo are sent to the cinema with instructions to tell the story to the village on their return; the little seamstress comments wistfully that she can "see planes flying overhead, and wonder to what far cities they are going" reminding us painfully that this is the 1960s not the 1860s.

Mostly, though, the audience is reminded of the futility of repression; the insatiable thirst for knowledge and new ideas, even among the villagers who are transfixed by the basic choices to be found in a city-boy's cookbook.

The cinematography is also wonderful. Apart from the flood sequence at the end, there is nothing flashy about it (and, given the scenery, it's possible that even I could do a fair job of making the film look pretty) but it is precisely the understated nature of the cinematography that I loved.

If the film has any particular weakness, its end (at least in terms of the Phoenix Mountain segment) is abrupt and seems not to follow logically from what has gone before. This is a small criticism though.

Many films today, even the good ones, seem to force their themes upon the audience by brute force, yet upon leaving the cinema, there seems little to talk about or ruminate over. "Balzac…", at least for me, was the opposite. Its light touch has worked its way into my unguarded consciousness. It is a welcome guest, and long may it stay.

In 2000, Dai Sijie's semi-autobiographical novella 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress' was released. An elegantly told story full of humour and emotion, it is set during the time of Mao's Cultural Revolution, and follows Ma Jianling and Luo Min, two young men sent to re-education at a small mountain village. One day, they discover a stash of forbidden Western literature, including works by Balzac, which profoundly impacts their lives and thinking. They also befriend a local seamstress, with whom they share their newfound knowledge, which in turn changes her outlook on life.

The novella received near universal acclaim (apart from the Chinese government, somewhat unsurprisingly) and went on to be translated in over nineteen languages. In 2002, a film adaptation was released, directed by Sijie. Often, when powerful, simple stories are adapted to other mediums, their impact and poignancy are diluted, if not lost completely. Some stories are just better suited for the page and not the cinema screen: with 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress,' this is not the case.

Sijie's story translates beautifully to film. His narrative is compelling, with plenty of humour, despite its emotional resonance and dramatic depth. As in the book, the film shows how education and literature empower, especially within the confines of a society such as that under Mao. The film can be seen as a cutting diatribe against censorship and the small-mindedness of those who fear knowledge, free speech and education.

It is also a story about friendship, and how shared experiences forge deep, enduring bonds. The relationship between the two young men and the seamstress evolves through their mutual appreciation of literature, becoming a testament to the human spirit's resilience and the transformative power of art. Moreover, the film delves into the concepts of personal growth and self-discovery, as- through the forbidden books- the characters embark on a journey of intellectual and emotional awakening.

This journey is mirrored through Jean-Marie Dreujou's evocative cinematography and the picturesque, yet harsh, setting of the mountain village. Much like Thomas Mauch, Dreujou captures what Werner Herzog refers to as "the drama of the landscape" astutely, portraying the environment as both beautiful and foreboding. Dreujou highlights the contrast between the idyllic landscape and the oppressive political regime, emphasizing the tension between freedom and control, adding another layer of depth to the narrative. This visual dichotomy enhances the story's themes, illustrating the characters' internal and external struggles.

Furthermore, Jiuping Cao's production design adds a layer of authenticity to the film. The detailed set pieces transport the audience back to the Cultural Revolution, creating a vivid and immersive experience. Additionally, Huamiao Tong's costumes reflect the era's austerity, while highlighting the characters' evolving identities.

Moreover, Pujian Wang's elegiac score enhances the emotional impact of the film. The music weaves seamlessly with the narrative, underscoring the characters' journeys and the themes of love, loss and discovery. In addition, Luc Barnier and Julia Grégory's editing ensures the film has a smooth, steady pace that keeps the audience invested throughout.

Ye Liu, as Ma, delivers an introspective performance, capturing the character's intellectual curiosity and inner struggles with aplomb, while Kun Chen, as Luo, is charismatic and dynamic. Xun Zhou, meanwhile, shines as the Little Seamstress, embodying a blend of innocence and burgeoning self-awareness. Her transformation throughout the film is well-realized, making her character's journey all the more impactful. In addition, their co-stars- particularly Shuangbao Wang as the head of the village and Zhijun Cong as the tailor- cannot be faulted.

In conclusion, Dai Sijie's 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress' is a poignant and visually stunning adaptation remaining faithful to the essence of his novella. A celebration of the power of literature and the enduring strength of friendship, it is engaging and thought-provoking. Boasting stellar visuals from Jean-Marie Dreujou, a fine score and strong performances from all in the cast, it is a fairly seamless affair. In fact, 'Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress' needs no alterations.

Sijie Dai's wonderful novel, "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" was a joy to read. The author, who one thinks must live in France, made it possible for people that haven't read the book to see it as a motion picture that captures the spirit of the novel.

The action takes place in the China of the Red Brigades. As they swept the country, they wanted to rid of all foreign influence in their culture because it was perceived as a threat to the system. Among the people that fell prey to the hysteria of those days, two young city young men were apprehended and sent to a remote area by the magical Phoenix mountains to start work in one of the mines in the area as part of their reeducation, or brain washing process.

Young Luo and Ma, can't do without their beloved books and the violin that one of them played. Suddenly, these two young men are once again seen as a threat to their small community which is dominated by a man with a small mind who sees evil everywhere. The young men are appalled when they discover that most of the people around them are illiterate. Thus begins a series of readings from the classical books, mostly French, and the young men disguise as coming from another source.

When the tailor for the area arrives with his little assistant, both Luo and Ma can't help in falling in love for her. Only one of them will be successful in being loved back by the beautiful young woman.

The film is beautiful to watch. The impressive backdrop to the story serves as a distraction, at times, into this majestic area of China. The director has achieved a magic moment for the viewer by capturing beautiful images about a place at the end of the world.

This movie is most memorable for its beautiful scenery and while the story itself is told with skill and ambition it still lacks proper pace at times. Less would have been more here.

Also it seems that as the movie nears its end the writers had a hard time thinking of a artistically pleasing ending and by doing so overdid it just a bit. The underwater scene at the end, while having a melancholic touch, did come across as rather forced for an otherwise "natural" film.

The characters are all believable, amicable, intriguing and make you all the more interested in the story, which takes place during the Chinese cultural revolution. Do not expect historic facts since this is no documentary but a tale of love found and lost. A wonderfully poetic one, too.

A highlight of independent film making. 7/10

In 1971, in the China of Mao Tse Tung, the two university students Luo (Kun Chen) and Ma (Ye Liu) are sent to a mountain mining village with very ignorant peasants and also a Maoist rehabilitation camp, to be reeducated. Both fall in love for the illiterate granddaughter of the local tailor, called "little seamstress". They become friends, and Luo and Ma steal forbidden books of western literature, and while they read the books and teach the little seamstress, they also tell the story to the community and play classical music in the violin, developing and improving their lives.

What a magnificent and beautiful movie is "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress". In a wonderful landscape with stunning scenery, this revolutionary love story about the importance of books to improve the life of people is very believable and I am not sure whether it is based on a true story. I regret that the DVD released in Brazil by Europa distributor has interviews with the cast and director spoken in Mandarin and without subtitles. My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "Balzac e a Costureirinha Chinesa" ("Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress")

I was really moved by the portrayal of the friendship of the Little Seamstress, Ma, and Luo, and how their lives were changed by their experience in the mountains in this brief span of time. The mountains were beautiful, the re-educators were not presented as monsters, and the acting, esp Xun Zho as Little Seamstress and Ye Liu as Ma was really good. Xun Zho reminded me of the young Gong Li in Red Sorghum. Most importantly, I rediscovered how lucky I am to be able to read and watch what I want when I want, and how I am almost obligated to take advantage of my freedom to read and watch movies.

For me, the filming was never as strong as the better Asian movies but once the movie got going the filming became stronger as did the movie.

The character of the harshness of the cultural revolution in China in the 60's was shown thru a politically soft-focus lens, but I did not mind this as there are more than enough Chinese movies that have leaned in the other direction, and for me, this was a movie about friendship and love in a political and cultural setting, not the other way around which matches my own personal preferences.

"Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Xiao cai feng)" raises the awkward situation of commenting on a semi-autobiographical story which was originally written, then adapted and directed by the person who lived it in the same, beautiful locations where the events that inspired Sijie Dai took place. How much is fiction and how much is docu-drama? And I haven't read the book so I don't know how much he changed.

The basics of the story would seem like a 1940's sci fi allegory of a totalitarian, anti-intellectual society if the Cultural Revolution under the here ubiquitously revered ruler Mao Tse Tung hadn't actually happened, with its anti-literate class-based revenge of kicking the children of the perceived elite out of the cities to rural areas for re-education at rigorous manual labor. In outline, his story is like a real life "Fahrenheit 451" and "the Little Seamstress," the teen ager, played charmingly by Xun Zhou, who gets caught up in a triangle between the out-of-towners, like "Ninotchka." She, startlingly, has far more ambition than the loyal peasant girl in "The Road Home."

So it's hard to tell if the strong condescension in the tone to the local peasantry is what the two young men finally learn to overcome or is somewhat shown to be just as endemic in the Communist Party as is seen at the end they were suppressing the beauty of local traditions almost as much as intellectual influences. Because the premise that transforming aesthetics can only come from outside influences through movies, fashion and Western literature and music just seems anthropologically naive as they poke fun at and trick the locals. We do see that the peasants appreciate story telling, sewing and songs - but only of the most earthy kind until the re-educated sneak in their experiences, disguised as homages to Lenin or Mao. For example, with the almost universality of stringed instruments in human culture, it's hard to believe that peasants would be that skeptical when first exposed to a violin.

The film is at its strongest, and loveliest, when it sticks to the personal relationships that result from contacts with the locals, as human nature is more powerful than ideology and youth is simply irrepressible and non-Orwellian. The romantic triangle plays out beautifully and gently demonstrates male instincts for Pygmalion control, irrespective of politics. The story affirms the Law of Unintended Consequences, heavily symbolized at the end with the coming of a dam on the river that will have the same effect on these towns as the TVA had on now forgotten communities in Appalachia.

This tender and poignant nostalgia is a chronological and thematic prequel to the less optimistic "The World (Shijie)" in showing the impact of globalization on China and its people.

this movie I watched only because I red the book first which is excellent. the movie is fairly loyal to the book. only 1 or 2 things are added, but other than that is is very accurate. the movie was created like it was taken right out of the book. the love story is charming and the characters are never annoying and never get tiresome. the atmosphere created in this movie is brilliant. a delight to watch. you could fall in love with The little seamstress just the way to protagonist and Luo do.the scenery is perfect, and makes you wish to be re-educated, although... not at all. just watch this movie. not a break through but certainly an enjoyable story.

Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress is one of those movies, you're glad you caught at your local cinema, even though you never originally planned to see it. Because it's one of those movies that remind you there's more to cinema than just Hollywood-Blockbuster formula stuff, and if you already knew that, than there's even more than your usual 'trying to hard to be arthouse cinema' stuff.

Sounds like high praise? Don't get me wrong here. I gave it a 6 out of 10 (though it pushes hard for a 7). The story is based on a book of a Chinese author, living in France. And maybe that is, why it worked. On the one side you have a Chinese setting, Chinese actors and a the background of Chinese communism in the seventies, on the other side you have a story you can culturally relate to without being Chinese (or even knowing much about Chinese history or culture (and that doesn't leave a universal love story as the only option you sugarcoated romance freaks)). Take both together and you have an utterly satisfying movie-experience.

The one thing, that's strange though is the fact that it's about the value of books. It sure looks ironic to need a movie, to remind you that a world without books is a prison for your mind. Hmmm! Okay, maybe I'll change my vote to a 7. And now let me continue to read...

Avoiding clichés, the movie shows a way of life where most people are thinking in a different way from the West.

You see dissidents exercising a lot of ingenuity against the controls of the Cultural Revolution. A piece of Western music is renamed 'Mozart Loves Chairman Mao' to get it accepted.

It also shows you why Chinese Communism didn't collapse in 1989 and is in no danger of such a collapse. You see a degree of niceness and trust among ordinary people that is seriously eroded over here. (See Peter Hessler's 'River Town' for another much-praised example.) The film also ends with a question-mark. The 'Little Seamstress' goes off to a big city and later moves on to Hong Kong. Doing what is not specified, but she got the idea from Balzac, apparently.

"Balzac and the little seamstress" is French made film which portrays the profound impact that illicit French literature has on a peasant Chinese village during the cultural revolution. Outsiders, two city boys sent from the big city for re-education, breezily deal with the hardship of peasant life and the disapproval of their bourgeois ways. Fortunately for them, they are saved by their discovery of the presence of a stash of cultured (mostly French) foreign literature. They then begin their own re-education project in an effort to bring civilization to object of their love, the cute little seamstress. Unfortunately the film becomes an unconvincing lesson in the enlightening impact of European and particularly French culture when presented to rural Sichuan peasants. The pretensions of this concept are bad enough. But even this half-baked concept becomes more laughable the hands of this ham-fisted director. Attempts at comedy fall flat and the character relationships are empty. Without this there is little of value in such a film except for the undeniably beautiful setting.

Don't be mislead into thinking that a film about the Chinese Cultural Revolution has to be heavy. This one is delightfully light, at times quite funny, but not trivial.

Describing one film review in Hong Kong serves well to describe the film itself. The critic used 90% of the review to say how the film is unrealistic, somewhat over-literary, a bit over-romantic, etc. In the last paragraph, however, despite everything that he said before, he gave the film top rating simply because it was so beautifully made.

The three young people are such a joy to watch. The message I get (which may not be the one intended by the director) is that no matter under what circumstances, youthfulness will prevail. For those who follow the international movie scene, Zhou Xun and Liu Ye wouldn't be total strangers. Chen Kun, the third of the trio, put up an equally sparkling performance. All the supporting roles are great too, and there are quite a few of them.

The scenery is breathtaking and the ending (which of course I won't give away) is very poetic.

It's one of the best, if not the best, "Chinese" film I've ever seen (Chinese in quotes because it's really French, and represents France in the Golden Globe, losing, narrowly I hope, to Almodovar's masterpiece Talk to Her).

This is the Chinese Jules et Jim...so beautiful in its misty mountains...it's hard truths about communism and political harshness. Unbelievable in its many awful truths. But ultimately, one of the most beauteous of all films...especially in the way it deals with the entry into the imagination of beauty through reading, which was forbidden to these peasants...but they took a risk anyway in order to experience those pleasures.

I will always remember this film and its transforming power over my rational mind. I believe the power of this film is the human spirit which sounds like blah blah blah but I really mean it. The human spirit soars from beginning to end in the story. The film captures every moment.

At the core of 2003's Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, a film directed by a man adapting his own novel, is a bond shared between two men at a time of oppression and punishment - something which is threatened into disintegration on account of a young woman seemingly coming between them. Much later on, when one half of this masculine double-act embraces the titular Chinese seamstress, his long-time friend peers through slats in a nearby shack at their lonely coming together up on a rock beside a stretch of water - itself a highly romanticised image within a film about nastiness at a time of political and cultural strife. As he looks on, there is a looming sense of whatever little fondness the film infers he has for her is clashing with the fact she is coming between him and his friend; in spite of the fact the film is somewhat of a love story, this sense of men and males bonding in harsh circumstances takes centre stage - Dai Sijie's film deceptively about the fondness two people share for a member of the opposite sex and more-so about the understanding two of the same gender have with one another; those around them and their predicament.

If one were to say that the sorts of films Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress feigns to be more often than not end with a heterosexual embrace, the final few scenes of this film display a muted mutual understanding of what two people of the same gender went through: thinking along the lines of 'we experienced all of that, lost it, but still have each other'. The characters we observe during the opening shots move in a very robotic manner; they lumber up steep hills to the backdrop of mountains but both the reasons they're there and the tasks they must carry out whilst there do not match up with the picturesque view on display. Where they are is a punishment camp in the nether-regions of early 1970s China, a nation undergoing change what with its cultural and political crises then-presently unfolding closer to the top - a nation deeming it worthy to send a man to one of these rural correctional facilities if it means they were a dentist who corrected a bad tooth for someone in support of the present government's opposition. Such a man is Luo (Chen), a young adult suffering through the same hardships with a good friend named Ma (Liu), of whom is a bit of a musician.

From robotic foundations comes the film about characters exploring books and music and other texts at the higher end of culture; items which touch the characters so much that they decide to print verses from their favourite banned material on their shirts so they may feel how they feel. Such a thing strikes us as being akin to people in our contemporary Western world walking around with song lyrics or images from their favourite movies on their T-shirts; we take it as a given, these people must hide their enthusiasm. The film is a piece about two, gently mutating into three, fellows broadening both their creativity and thinking whilst at the same time their feelings for one another. It begins with a finding of a small shed housing banned material, instruments and books by the eponymous Balzac among others. Ceturies old classical works by famous Austrain composers are allowed to be played by the likes of Ma, but only if it means successfully fobbing off the superior officer on guard with promises that it is in actual fact a recent tune promoting the regime.

It carries on with the arrival of Xun Zhou's character, an attractive young woman arriving at the camp to hear Ma play and coming to stick around a while longer when she discovers their illegal lust for such things matches that of hers. It progresses further still when Luo and the seamstress get closer than they perhaps should; their occupying of a police-governed and totalitarian state run nation, in which power-play and control plays a large role in factoring how people live; exist and behave, leads to a deep fondness when the seamstress is charged with flogging his back to cure his malaria – this symbolic occurrence of power exchange ultimately leading them to an embrace and affecting their own existence and behaviour. On the one hand, the film is a deftly played love story following three people deeply involved in what they've got themselves into, but it is an affecting dialogue driven drama that slides into believable tragedy as the circumstances they find themselves in, due to certain complications, befall the threesome. Its sense of advancing its characters, in having Ma and Luo enjoy sneaking up on the female population of the camp during the opening exchanges as they bathe nude in a natural spring, is prominent as they come to indulge the seamstress' presence and begin to understand women much more in that regard. The fondness characters develop for one another is believable, while Sijie, what with all the expectancy lumped onto him given it is his novel; his screenplay; his adaptation and his whole project, brings to life this vision's story with punch – the thing totalling up into a worthwhile experience.

Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise (2002)(shown in the U.S. as

"Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" is a movie that is pleasant to watch, but that doesn't provide much to think about later.

This film,directed by Sijie Dai, is a French-Chinese coproduction.

The basic story line is not subtle. Two educated young Chinese men are sent to a remote part of the country for "re-education." This was a time in China where everyone with possible ties to the West was suspected of being an enemy of the people. To remove these tendencies, educated, cultured people were sent to the remote countryside and forced to do physical labor, and attend educational sessions, until they had been successfully rehabilitated.

Two friends--Luo and Ma--are young and healthy, and able to withstand the physical labor. However, they certainly have finer values in mind: music and especially literature. Luckily, through a ruse, one of the men is able to keep his violin. They also manage to find books of translations of great literature--including Balzac.

A young woman is added to the equation--the Little Seamstress of the title. The actor Xun Zhou plays this role. Predictably, she is lovely and charming, and both of the young men are smitten.

Most of the remainder of the movie describes incidents at the re-education site. Some are humorous, some are sad, some are romantic. At the very end of the film, we are brought into present-day China, so that we learn the fate of the characters we see as young people. (Other people attending the movie had read the book, and told us that this ending was tacked onto the film, which lessened the emotional impact.)

In any event, I enjoyed this movie, and learned something more about history and also the social structure of China. However, this is clearly a romance, not a documentary, and should be viewed with that caveat in mind.

overall, this is a good movie. the scenery is very nice to look at, so out of this world. I found two mistakes. 1. both them speak with dialects. Then when one of the guy were talking to a local folksong singer, all of sudden, he started to talk in perfect mandarin which doesn't make sense. 2. At the end of the movie, the guy actually jumped into the water, and searched for the dead person's name among all those paper boats which seem to be fake. He could have just asked people about it.

The markup artists are great. They were able to change those two young men into middle age men without any obvious fake decorations.

I didn't think that it was necessary for those two characters to speak heavy dialects at all. If they are from the city, they should know how to speak the national language - Mandarin. It is so hard to understand those people, I had to read the English subtitles.

I also like the ending which seems like a copy from Titanic. It was well done.

That period of time was a tragic time. This movie could have a little more tear jerking moment, etc. It doesn't have any. And it also did not show us any dark side of the communist party, the craziness people get into.

An invaluably sad but exceptionally beautiful work of art realistically depicting instability and mutability of all things in modern life. It's inevitably fluid like nature of human evolution between one époque to another. I can feel ethereal touch of Author's filial love to his mother country china. It is easy to see that the Author was torn between his deep seated love for China and Ambition of prosperity on his chosen land (France) at the moment of his life time decision making. This is something that not many understand unless you are forced to leave from your homeland and love ones for a cause. I have left Japan , Kyoto and a noble born beloved fiancé along with almost all things I perceived exquisite at that time for an ambitious cause.

Augmented by an outstanding soundtracks with his genius touch in a perfect synchronization with emotion portrayed in screenplay. Since I have played harpsichord continuo part for Haendel's tragic opera such as Alcina, Otone and Radamisto for student soprano singers during rehearsals in the past, I can readily feel Author's masterful quality of refined artistic mind in every scene.

This is a second film that I bought for my collection of Dai Sijie's works. I must admit that he is a genius of screenplay when it comes to depicting moments of painful separation. Who else can reproduce so vividly on the screen with such poetic touch today? Julien Kujo, Palo Alto, California

This Chinese movie, set in 1971, is about two university students that in the middle of the Cultural revolution, are sent to a mountain village for reeducation, in order to "learn from the peasants". Amid the menial work they are forced to do and the stifling stupidity of the villagers, the pair manages some solace by seducing the young seamstress granddaughter of a local tailor, when they introduce her to a secret cache of forbidden books (including a tome by Honore de Balzac referred in the movie's title). The movie is interesting to watch, yet a bit ugly in its contempt for peasants, who are seen as ugly brutes, basically. This sort of ugly snobbery makes one almost think that maybe Mao had a few points in sending the haughty intellectuals to the countryside for reeducation (of course, in real life, reeducation during the cultural revolution was a much more brutal affair than it is shown here).

Having seen this movie today, I can only feel sorry that the user comments used on the main page is so negative....the viewer must have been having a bad day or been in a restless mood, because the movie I saw, with two other filmgoers, was thought by all of us to have been excellent......poignant, moving and enthralling, but NEVER dull, let alone "painfully dull". I shall be watching out for a dvd of it.

Two men are sent to a village in the mountains for re-education during Mao's cultural revolution. Both fall in love with a seamstress in the village to whom they read forbidden books to in stolen moments. Beautiful, but unevenly paced story about the power of literature and music to change the world and change ourselves. Mostly unremarkable, the film pretty much does what you think it will, and since the film wasn't made by Orwell the ending (or its type) is never really in doubt. I really enjoyed the interaction between the characters, the exchanges between them seem genuine and real but the plot line isn't gripping, this is a story about literature changing the world not a thriller with mad escapes. Admittedly watching this at 1230 in the morning didn't help my ability to remain focused, however I still think that I probably would have had my attention wander. That said worth a look, but not too late at night in the middle of a movie marathon

Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress – Film review Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a film based on the cultural revolution of the 1970's. Two boys are sent to the country to be re-educated under Chairman Mao. The main focus of the movie is the adventures that the boys undergo while there. While they are there, Luo, one of the boys, falls in love with a local girl there, a seamstress. There is also a suitcase, belonging to one of the other boys, four-eyes, that is rumoured to hold in it secret books, illegal ones. The boys steal it, and with the help of their favourite author, Balzac, the little Chinese seamstress is changed forever from the simple girl she was.

The movie itself leaves something to be desired. Although the plot of the book is simple enough, the adaptation for the movie has not been done well, and some crucial parts have been removed or replaced. There have been some major changes in the movie, and while this is to be expected of any movie adaptation, they do not suit the movie or the book, and make holes in the film.

The characters, Ma (Ye Liu) and Luo (Kun Chen) are generally what you would expect them to be from the book. Their appearance is much the same, but they look too much alike to be able to tell them apart easily, especially with the cutting of one person to another. The Seamstress (Xun Zhou) has been done well, and is portrayed well. There is some difference from the book, but this is to be expected as it is an adaptation. The actors themselves have done quite well, and have settled into character much like the book, with the minor characters doing well at setting the scene for the main plot to take place. There were many minor roles, and all of them have done well in making the movie seem real and more life-like The scenery is fantastic. It has been beautifully captured by the camera, and the set of the movie has been chosen well. It fits in perfectly with the book, and is breathtaking to watch. The shots and angles used in the movie are also very well done. They accentuate the specific feeling in a particular scene to make it seem as if you are actually there. There is also very good lighting and sounds used in the movie, that are able to, again, emphasise a particular scene in the film that is of great importance. The sets are also very life-like, with the highlights being the little details that have been put into the sets, the feeling that it has been filmed during the 1970's is very much there. But the way that the camera has been able to capture it has been the most commendable achievement. It has been done in such a way that it is able to show the viewer what life was like, the details, and also to heighten a specific point in the movie.

The plot of the movie, however, is not very well done at all. The storyline is jumpy and confusing, and leaves viewers still trying to work out what has happened long after an event has passed. The plot is extremely disorganised, and the adaptation has not worked out well. People would have to read the book before seeing the movie to work out which parts fitted where and what was happening. There is utter chaos when organising the scene where Ma has jumped ahead to the future. When he is reminiscing about how the little seamstress had left a while earlier (from what can be pieced together) it is very confusing trying to work out whether he is in the present or the past.

The director of the movie (Sijie Dai) is also the writer of the book, so a better movie would be expected then this. But he has put the pieces of the movie together in such a way that, even though the scenes by themselves are brilliant, the movie is jumpy and hard to understand. The subtitles running too quickly didn't help. There are too many characters introduced at the same time, and eventually it gets far too complicated to understand the first time. One can only get their head around this movie if they have either read the book prior to watching the movie, or they have seen it more then once. Either way, there is too much effort required trying to understand the plot then is really necessary.

The movie is shot well, with excellent scenes and camera angles used to create a great tone in the movie. The actors have done well with adapting to the parts, and the characters are not unlike the book. But the plot line is a real let-down, with the scenes being poorly placed, making the movie jumpy and unrealistic. The director has done poorly on this movie, which is confusing in itself, considering he wrote the book as well as making the movie. Maybe he should just stick to writing. Although, for those who have read the book, he isn't too good at that either. Overall, not a movie that is worth paying $4 to go and rent, and certainly not worth the time to try and understand.