A donkey, a scam, and parents who'd cross mountains for you. Rural China's gut-punch of a debut.
A poor but brilliant rural student, Tang Xiaolin, gains admission to a prestigious university. His disabled father sells their only donkey to fund Xiaolin’s education. Upon arriving in the city, Xiaolin is scammed out of his tuition and beaten while searching for the fraudsters. Fate connects him with a wealthy businessman’s son. Meanwhile, unaware of his struggles, Xiaolin’s worried parents, despite their disabilities, set out to find him when they learn he hasn’t attended school.
Acting
Disabled parents played with zero pity, pure granite resilience.
Writing
The donkey sale scene hits harder than most blockbusters' third acts.
Director
Chunxiao Li
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Directors Li and Liu are part of a wave of Chinese indie filmmakers documenting the 'left-behind' rural population, a demographic of 60+ million. This was shot in actual villages with non-professional locals.
The donkey was not a prop—filmmakers borrowed a working animal from a local farmer who later refused payment, saying the film 'already paid him back.'
CN
