The Princess of Nebraska (2007)

The story of a pregnant Chinese girl's life in the U.S. Based on the the short story by Yiyun Li.

Director:

Wayne Wang

Writers:

Yiyun Li (short story), Michael Ray

Stars:

Li Ling, Brian Danforth, Minghua Tan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Li Ling	...	Sasha
Brian Danforth	...	Boshen
Minghua Tan	...	May
Zhi Hao Li	...	Driver
Hiep Thi Le	...	Mother at Mall
Djinn Ong	...	Father at Mall
Roxy Ong	...	Daughter at Mall
Finn Carlito Ong	...	Son at Mall
Jay Patumanoan	...	Security Guard
Jason W. Wong	...	Alvin (as Jason Wong)
Nanrisa Lee	...	Mary
Jacintha Charles	...	Party Guest #1
Pamelyn Chee	...	X
Patrice Binaisa	...	James
Qing Lin	...	Karaoke Woman (as Qxing Lin)

Storyline

Decisions and reality. Sasha is a young woman from Beijing, studying in Nebraska. She flies to the Bay Area and meets up with friends, including Boshen, a gay man who was the lover of Yang, a member of Beijing's Opera who got Sasha pregnant four months before. She's made an appointment at a clinic for the next day. Boshen thinks he, she, Yang, and the baby can be a family. After a contentious dinner, Sasha meets X, a call girl on her way to a party with older men. Sasha goes too. Later, Sasha asks X to travel the world with her. Reality awaits the next day. As the annual St. Stupid's Day Parade passes by, Boshen accompanies Sasha to the clinic. What will she decide?

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Plot Keywords:

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

User Reviews

Not my cup of Chinese tea.

I should have walked out of this film, but I stayed, hoping that it'd get better. It didn't. In fact the longer it went on, the worse it became. The story line (did I say story line?), is as thin as cigarette smoke. The lead character is obnoxious and monosyllabic. Nobody else in the film was either pleasant or of interest. The camera work was hand-held and jerky when it didn't need to be. The shots were so 'tight', the viewer is denied any sense of 'place'. No scene followed logically from the previous one. The ending was so totally incomprehensible, it demonstrated that the director had completely run out of ideas. The moral dilemma at the heart of the film was neither articulated or resolved. Wayne Wang has made some interesting features. "The Princess From Nebraska" is not one of them.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin

Release Date:

17 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Princesa do Nebraska

Filming Locations:

Oakland, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$191,887

Company Credits

Production Co:

Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Entertainment Farm (EF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1