Lü cao di (2005)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Hao Ning

Writer:

Hao Ning (writer)

Release Date:

3 August 2006 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Bilike has never seen a ping-pong ball before. He and his family live without electricity and running...

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Hurichabilike	...	Bilike
Geliban	...	Ergoutan
Badema	...	Bilike's Mother
Yidexinnaribu	...	Bilike's Father
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dawa	...	Dawa

Directed by
Hao Ning

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hao Ning		writer

Produced by
Bu He	....	producer
Bin Lu	....	producer

Original Music by
Wuhe

Cinematography by
Jie Du

Film Editing by
Yong Jiang

Production Companies

• Kunlun Brother Film & TV Productions Lts.

Distributors

• Benelux Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• CTV International (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• First Run Features (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Rapid Eye Movies (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Divisa Home Video (2007) (Spain) (DVD)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Lumière Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Mongolian Ping Pong (USA)

Runtime:

USA:102 min

Country:

China

Language:

Mongolian

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Inner Mongolia, China

Company:

Kunlun Brother Film & TV Productions Lts.

A truck is valuable on the steppe...

'Mongolian Ping Pong' is an enjoyable film which tells the story of a young boy called Bilike, who finds a ping-pong ball in the river near his house. He lives on the Mongolian steppe, fairly secluded from industrial society, and his family and friends all have their own amusing opinions of what the ping-pong ball is or is used for.

As other viewers have mentioned, the film feels a lot like "The Gods Must Be Crazy" (and I would draw comparisons to the darker Icelandic film, "Noi the Albino") and contains the trademark flourishes of these documentary-ish steppe films. This means there are tons of drawn-out shots of the landscape, lots of time where nothing is happening or nothing is being said, and a lot of time traveling from location to location. This is interesting here because the elapsed time and expansive terrain lend the events of the story more gravity. Some of the drawn-out scenes are slightly monotonous, but without this lengthy pacing the same events would not be very significant.

Still, the characters and interactions prove to be endearing and this is one of the better "steppe films" I've seen (a haha, I've only seen three or so!). The themes involve the contrast of a nomadic life against a modern industrial one, materialism in the steppes, and the significance of family and hard work. There are some beautiful shots of the plains, mountains and deserts of Mongolia and we are treated to some charming segments with various locals. It is generally what some would call a "heart-warming family film" though the subtitles and slow pace would probably alienate most children.