Plot Summary: Set during China's Cultural Revolution, The King of Children tells the story of Lao Gan, an educated youth sent to a remote village in the Yunnan-Guizhou region to work as a teacher.
Director: Chen Kaige
Producers: Xi'An Film Studio
Screenplay: Adapted from Ah Cheng's novella with the same name
Starring:
Xie Yuan as Lao Gan
Chen Shaohua as Principal Chen
Yang Xuewen as Wang Fu
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⚠️ SPOILER ALERT ⚠️
Jumping Into Chinese Cinema Blindfolded
Hey everyone. So, back in January, the internet had a little moment, and suddenly, millions of Americans rushed to a Chinese social media app called Red Note. I got curious, joined in, and ended up discovering a whole new world of culture thanks to some incredibly welcoming Chinese users. Naturally, I decided to ask for movie recommendations, and wow, they flooded in. But despite all the amazing suggestions, I went rogue and picked my own film to start this journey into Chinese cinema. Not very grateful of me, I know, but don’t worry, I will be watching all the recommendations and giving credit to those who sent them in the coming weeks. My first choice? King of the Children by Chen Kaige. And let me tell you, I was not prepared.
Lost in Translation (and History)
Turns out, I was embarrassingly ignorant about the Cultural Revolution, so after watching the movie, I had to do a crash course just to understand what I had just seen. The film starts with this scruffy-looking guy living in a hut with a bunch of people, and suddenly, he is assigned to be a teacher. Judging by his torn shirt and messy hair, this does not seem like the best idea. People in the movie laughed at the situation, and I just sat there wondering if the subtitles were playing a prank on me. Most of the time, I did not know what everyone was laughing about. The cultural and linguistic barriers hit me hard, but I was fascinated. Then the setting changed, and wow. The school is in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by towering mountains that look straight out of a classic Chinese painting. The cinematography is breathtaking. It is beautiful but also eerie when you realize this is real life for people in these remote areas.
Confused, But Enlightened
As our guy settles into teaching, he quickly realizes the kids have been trained to just memorize words without understanding them, basically, the ultimate "repeat after me" education system. So, like any good teacher, he tries to change things up and get them thinking critically. Big mistake. Spoiler: he gets fired. (Which I didn’t even realize at first, because I was too busy still trying to decipher what was going on.)
The movie’s pacing is slow, but instead of getting bored, I found myself mesmerized by the scenery and deep in thought, questioning every little detail. Also, can we talk about the sound design? There’s almost no music in the entire film, except for one strange, shamanic-sounding track that made me feel like I was witnessing some ancient ritual. The rest of the time, the film plays with silence and unsettling noises in a way that I know was intentional, but my clueless brain just couldn't quite decode.
All in all, I’d recommend this if you’re in the mood to time-travel to a different era and place, and if you’re open to learning through confusion. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s a fascinating one. The themes connect to the director’s previous films, so now I feel like I have homework to do. At least now I am a little more prepared for what is coming next.
Watch the full movie with English subtitles here: King of the Children (1987)
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