At the outset of Zhang Yuan's poignant reflection on conformity, a four-year-old boy, Qiang, is deposited in a Beijing kindergarten. Effectively orphaned, Qiang has difficulty acclimating to the school's regimen of how and when to eat, dress, wash his hands, and use the bathroom. The formation of good habits is rewarded with coveted little red flowers, but since Qiang can't yet dress himself and still wets his bed, he's unable to earn any. His frustration and defiance soon put him at odds with the head teacher, Mrs. Li. Zhang is an eclectic, iconoclastic figure in Chinese cinema (as well as a Sundance alumnus with Beijing Bastards and I Love You). He succeeds in the nearly impossible task of eliciting authentic performances from four- and five-year-old kids, capturing their unpredictable behavior, uncertain social interactions, games, and, amazingly, even their moments of introspection. Despite its light touch, the film is a carefully structured exploration of individuality and community. Although Qiang is rebellious more by instinct than intent, he innocently and perfectly represents Zhang's concern about "fitting into" society. Needless to say, the film delivers a dose of satire when that means emulating the "good habit of pooping in the morning." Little Red Flowers is a touching, artful meditation on socialization that also manages -- without pandering or softening its point -- to be quite adorable as well.-- (C) Sundance Film Festival … More
Little Red Flowers (Chinese: 看上去很美; pinyin: Kàn shàng qù hén měi) is a 2006 Chinese film directed by Zhang Yuan. The film was a co-production between ..
The formation of good habits is rewarded with coveted little red flowers, but since Qiang can't yet dress himself and still wets his bed, he's unable to earn any.
Jan 2, 2007.. Were it in English, and not Mandarin, one imagines that the Mail would get hot under the collar about this Chinese film, with its ample shots of ..
Jan 24, 2006.. That's the task director Zhang Yuan took on in bringing to life his film Little Red Flowers, which is showing in the World Cinema Dramatic ..
May 28, 2011.. The film Little Red Flowers tells the allegorical tale of what happens when the seed of rebellion begins to grow in a four year-old boy's head at ..
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Dec 12, 2010.. Little Red Flowers on mubi.com. Find trailers, reviews, and all info for Little Red Flowers by Zhang Yuan on this page.
Directed by Yuan Zhang. With Bowen Dong, Yuanyuan Ning, Chen Manyuan, Zhao Rui. A young boy starting school for the first time struggles to fit in to a strictly regimented society in in post-revolutionary China.