A peasant girl dances her way to glory—then her own soul shatters.
Based in part on Chinese folk dancer Yang Liping's life story, a young girl from a remote village who becomes a dance star and suffers an emotional breakdown.
Direction
Yang Liping directs her own trauma—uncomfortably raw
Cinematography
Breathtaking village landscapes vs. claustrophobic city stages
Acting
Liping's physical performance speaks where words fail
Director
Yang Liping
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Yang Liping reportedly used personal medical records from her own 1986 breakdown as set dressing in the hospital scenes.
The film sparked debate in 1990s China about whether 'peasant art' could be authentic once commodified for urban audiences.
CN
