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Shun Li and the Poet

Original title: Io sono Li
  • 20112011
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Shun Li and the Poet (2011)
IO SONO LI relates the romantic and difficult friendship between a Chinese immigrant and an old fisherman, on an island of the Venetian lagoon facing economic changes. 
After working in a textile factory in the suburbs of Rome, Shun Li moves to the small
Play trailer1:47
1 Video
7 Photos
  • Drama
A study of the friendship between a Chinese woman and a fisherman who came to Italy from Yugoslavia many years ago, who live in a small city-island in the Veneto lagoon.A study of the friendship between a Chinese woman and a fisherman who came to Italy from Yugoslavia many years ago, who live in a small city-island in the Veneto lagoon.A study of the friendship between a Chinese woman and a fisherman who came to Italy from Yugoslavia many years ago, who live in a small city-island in the Veneto lagoon.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Andrea Segre
  • Writers
    • Andrea Segre(story)
    • Marco Pettenello(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tao Zhao
    • Rade Serbedzija
    • Marco Paolini
Top credits
  • Director
    • Andrea Segre
  • Writers
    • Andrea Segre(story)
    • Marco Pettenello(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Tao Zhao
    • Rade Serbedzija
    • Marco Paolini
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 6User reviews
    • 49Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 19 wins & 10 nominations

    Videos1

    SHUN LI AND THE POET
    Trailer 1:47
    SHUN LI AND THE POET

    Photos7

    Shun Li and the Poet (2011)
    Marco Paolini and Rade Serbedzija in Shun Li and the Poet (2011)
    Roberto Citran, Marco Paolini, and Tao Zhao in Shun Li and the Poet (2011)
    Tao Zhao in Shun Li and the Poet (2011)
    Giuseppe Battiston in Shun Li and the Poet (2011)
    Tao Zhao in Shun Li and the Poet (2011)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tao Zhao
    Tao Zhao
    • Shun Lias Shun Li
    • (as Zhao Tao)
    Rade Serbedzija
    Rade Serbedzija
    • Bepi, il poetaas Bepi, il poeta
    • (as Rade Sherbedgia)
    Marco Paolini
    • Coppeas Coppe
    Roberto Citran
    Roberto Citran
    • Avvocatoas Avvocato
    Giuseppe Battiston
    Giuseppe Battiston
    • Devisas Devis
    Giordano Bacci
    • Baffoas Baffo
    Spartaco Mainardi
    • Maicolas Maicol
    Zhong Cheng
    • Zangas Zang
    Wang Yuan
    • Lianas Lian
    Amleto Voltolina
    • Bodeas Bode
    Andrea Pennacchi
    Andrea Pennacchi
    • Sandroas Sandro
    Guo Qiang Xu
    • Bossas Boss
    • (as Xu Guo Qiang)
    Sara Perini
    • Sara, moglie di Devisas Sara, moglie di Devis
    Federico Hu
    • Xiao Ming, figlio di Shun Lias Xiao Ming, figlio di Shun Li
    Hi Zhijian
    • Majong Playeras Majong Player
    Ni Jamin
    • Majong Playeras Majong Player
    Irma Bellemo
    • Suoreas Suore
    Nicolò Bonaldo
    • Christian figlio di Devisas Christian figlio di Devis
    • Director
      • Andrea Segre
    • Writers
      • Andrea Segre(story) (screenplay)
      • Marco Pettenello(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Shun Li: I ask the heavenly guardian to open to me. Leaning in the doorway, he scrutinizes me. A whirlwind spins with a greeting from clouds and rainbows.

    • Connections
      Featured in Pauline détective (2012)

    User reviews6

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Quiet & Touching Film
    Set mostly in the seaside town of Chioggio, Italy, this quiet and touching independent film resonated well with me.

    Zhao Tao stars, in an understated and powerful performance, as Shun Li, a Chinese woman who is sent to work in Italy by the Chinese mafia, in what very well could be described as "indentured servitude". She's closely watched and supervised by her Chinese "handlers" who tell her when and where to go for work. However, each time she's transfered debts accrue on her account which keep delaying her "getting the news", which is that she's paid her account off and that her 8 year old son can be sent to join her.

    In Chiaggio, where Shun Li is working as a bartender and waitress at a local cafe, she meets Bepi, or as his friends call him The Poet because he's always making up rhymes. Superbly portrayed by Rade Sherbedglia, Bepi is a kindly retired fisherman, recently widowed, who likes to hang out at the cafe with his friends. I've recently seen "Taken 2", where Sherbedglia plays an evil Albanian crime family boss. Here, he gets the chance to portray a sensitive "good guy" and he doesn't disappoint.

    Bepi and Shun Li become friends, as they find out they have a number of things in common. Shun Li, as it turns out, comes from a long line of fishermen ancestors, plus Bepi originally came from a Communist country Yugoslavia. However, their main bond is that Shun Li is a devout believer in celebrating the soul of Qu Yuan, the foremost poet of Chines tradition. Each year at the Festival of the Poet, she honors him with floating a lit lantern on a river or body of water. So the fact that Bepi is considered a poet just solidifies their friendship.

    When Shun Li's and Bepi's friendship gets deeper emotionally, it leads to rumor mongering among his friends and a strict warning from her "handlers" that she must end this friendship with a foreigner or that she'll have to start her debt to them all over again. This will eventually lead to dark and dramatic consequences for all concerned.

    I thought the movie was well paced and directed by Andrea Segre, who also co-wrote the script with Marco Pettenello.

    Overall, if you like quiet and emotionally interesting foreign films that are well acted and tell a good story, you may very well like this one.
    helpful•10
    1
    • larrys3
    • Aug 9, 2013

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 23, 2011 (Italy)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • France
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site [en]
    • Languages
      • Italian
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Li and the Poet
    • Filming locations
      • Chioggia, Venice, Veneto, Italy
    • Production companies
      • Jolefilm
      • Aeternam Films
      • Rai Cinema
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $890,487
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 38 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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