For the Children (2002) Reviews

Member Rating:

A grieving peasant still mourning the death of her husband and young son opens a school in the remote and barren landscape of northwest China in director Yang Yazhou's stark but affecting drama. When Zhang Meili lost her family, she also lost her purpose in life. Now determined not to fall victim to her sorrow, Zhang decides to leave her bad memories behind and start life anew by giving back to the community. Xia Yu is an unhappy housewife from Beijing who longs to make a difference, too. After abandoning her husband to assist Zhang Meili in her noble efforts, the pair soon form a close-knit bond and Xia Yu learns just how rewarding the life of a teacher can be. The situation grows complicated, however, when Xia Yu's husband arrives imploring his wife to return home, and Zhang Meili becomes involved in a clandestine relationship with a local projectionist. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Starring:: Ni Ping, Yuan Quan, (more)

Director(s):: Yang Yazhou

Format(s):: DVD
View All Versions to rent and buy

Average Ratings

(2 member reviews)

Member Reviews

	Denna B.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

If you're looking for another movie like "Not One Less", this isn't it. For a movie that came out in 2002, it looked like it was put together by a second year film student in the early 1980's. The movie suffers from multiple examples of poor production values. The video is out of focus, bleached out and looks like a full screen picture that's been letterboxed. The camera is often too close to the actors. The audio sounds like mono with an echoing, fish bowl effect. The repetitious soundtrack queues became cliche. The acting is sophomoric. And just when you thought the writing would be the saving grace, it isn't as character development is almost nil. The only good parts of the movie are the brief glimpses of the Chinese, desert landscape. As for extras, there's a trailer for another movie. Not recommended.

Was this review helpful? Yes | No