This thematic 'lesson' is served up with non-didactic grace complemented by tiny bursts of humour.
Comment
03/22/02
Not One Less (1999)
95
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:38
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.6/10
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: NOT ONE LESS is the heartwarming tale of a 13-year-old girl, Wei Minzi (Wei), who is a substitute teacher living in a poor village in rural China. She is given a month-long assignment to teach a... [More]
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Reviews for Not One Less
A stubborn girl shows her compassion and true grit in a situation where she must shoulder adult responsibilities.
03/13/02
The best film released in America so far this year.
09/18/01
A masterpiece of simplicity.
03/24/01
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02/14/01
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02/14/01
This is the kind of intelligent, probing picture where you get the chance to absorb every detail of the girl's experience, and the director's reserved approach exerts a strong, hypnotic hold.
01/01/00
Not One Less, despite its many strengths, is more tiresome than moving.
01/01/00
Despite its deliberate austerity, Not One Less is extraordinarily rich.
01/01/00
Top CriticThis film may seem slow, and its concerns distant to many American viewers. But Not One Less is a movie whose humanity is irresistibly, even joyfully, accessible.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe film is low-key and strikingly real. Rarely is there a moment that seems acted.
01/01/00
Not One Less has the same documentary-type style, and goes a step further by filling the cast with people who have never acted before. This lends authenticity to the film, which benefits greatly from the natural-born charm of its performers.
01/01/00
I especially found the performance of Wei Minzhi to be impactful.
01/01/00
Small movie, big impact.
01/01/00
Top CriticIn this touching road movie, the journey, not the destination, is the essence. The roads are rocky and rough and the excursion long and slow, but the trip is ever so worthwhile.
01/01/00
Filmgoers get an eye-opening look at the value placed on education in another culture, even in a poor, dusty village where crumbling chalk can be a catastrophe.
01/01/00
Despite the obvious cultural differences, this is old-fashioned, no-frills moviemaking that harkens back to the days when directors were more concerned with telling a real story than blowing things up or appeasing big-name stars.
01/01/00
Though it never teeters into sentimentality, Not One Less inspires genuine tears and laughter.
01/01/00
This alternately sad-funny film sneaks up on you. Its ability to grab us is surprising because it does so little, because it's so spare -- so unadorned and unpretentious.
01/01/00
With Not One Less, Zhang Yimou has fashioned what feels like an uncannily accurate portrait of a culture where Communist ideology has vanished like a brief dream, as traditional community values clash with the burgeoning cult of money.
01/01/00
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