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NOT ONE LESS Send This Review to a Friend
We have our own school problems here in the United States, but at the rural school in China depicted in "Not One Less," a troubling yet uplifting film directed by Zhang Yimou, there isn't even enough chalk with which the teacher can write on the blackboard. There is a shortage of teachers as well, and the story is built around a teenage substitute who steps into a seemingly impossible situation to teach a class of children. The film, although more heartwarming than confrontational, makes a telling political comment on the state of education in China and much more.
Zhang Yimou is best known for such films as "Red Sorghum," "Ju Dou,""Raise the Red Lantern," and "The Story of Qiu Ju." Here, instead of working with a professional cast, as with the stunning actress Gong Li, who has been associated with his films, he relies upon non-professionals. He even lets them assume their real names as characters in the film.
Using a screenplay by Shi Xiangsheng, the director gets a remarkable performance from Wei Minzhi as the 13-year-old substitute, who takes over for a teacher who must visit his sick mother. Wei is promised extra money if nobody drops out, as students in the class tend to do. She is completely ill-equipped, but she has heart and she gets the children to copy what she writes on the blackboard as their lessons. The crisis comes when Zhang Huike, a ten year old boy, leaves to find work in the city and Wei sets off to find him and bring him back. Despite a wall of rejection, she perseveres. What ultimately happens stems from a colorful situation in which the plight of the school becomes a cause celebre.
"Not One Less" may be the easiest of the director's films for a broader public to appreciate. The children tug at our hearts, yet the film, graced with humor in parts, doesn't become cloying. We also get a feel for life in China, whether in the rural area or in the television world of a bustling city. This is a fine, very appealing and entertaining film from one of the world's major directors. A Sony Pictures Classics Release.
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