I finally caught this highly recommended, internationally acclaimed film last night. And true to all the reviews, the movie is a must watch. The film, which is also an autobiography, by the way, tells the story of how a peasant boy, Lee Cun Xin, gets selected by the comrades of the Communist Party in China to undergo training in Beijing and how eventually he succeeded in becoming one of the top dancers of Houston Ballet. It is an arduous road to success and it is not something one can achieve without extreme mental strength and courage.
Although the name of the movie can sound rather arty farty at first, the movie is not at all 'uppity'. Anyone can appreciate the movie and the dance movements portrayed in the film is just awesome. It beats going to any Ballet Under the Stars.
And the best part of the movie, to me, is that there are many teacheable moments and depending on your background and interest, you get to focus on different aspects of the movie. A colleague who loved the movie told me that she learnt about the importance of having a good teacher. This is so because, Lee Cun Xin wasn't the best dancer amongst his peers. He didn't even like ballet and didn't even know what ballet is, to start with. But because one of his teachers had believed in his potential, he worked on his splits and improved his techniques. For me, I think this makes a very good film review work for political science students. The difference and contrast between capitalism and communism; the freedom the former provides and the oppressiveness of the latter system. There is just so many things one can learn from this film. I wouldn't mind watching this movie a second time.
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