One of the real delights of viewing so many (mainly good) movies is that once in a while you find an unexpected real gem that blows you (cinematic) socks off.  This is one such rare occasion, and spreading the word about a delicious treat that may never come onto your radar is one the main reasons I write my reviews.  This movie from China which will probably never get a theatrical release in most of the many countries this Blog is read in, deserves an audience. And you deserve to see it.

Chen Guilin has two passions in his life: playing the accordion with his pals, and his daughter, whose piano lessons take up all his money as, like most of this town, he has been laid off from the steel works where he once worked.  Guilin’s estranged wife turns up now that she has hooked up with a charlatan who is making a ton of money selling his fake medicine, and she wants a divorce and custody of their daughter.  A distraught Guilin asks his young daughter to choose between them, and she says she will go with the parent who provides her with a piano.

Totally broke Guilin cannot possible afford one so comes up with this mad idea that he will make one.  That’s after a bungled attempt by him and his pals to steal one.  So he gathers together his motley crew of assorted ex-workmates who, despite their reluctancy, loyal support Guilin with his absurdly optimistic plan.

Stunningly photographed against the dramatic ruins of the disused steelworks, Zhang Meng the young director in this, only his second feature, uses this industrial landscape as the perfect setting for his highly stylized vision. The primary reason that this is a real treasure is that the whole talented cast play a bunch of oddball quirky characters, each one a well-written part, that collectively makes such a delightful and endearing ensemble. Full credit to a brilliantly balanced script that somehow makes a potentially real-downer of a story into a wonderfully uplifting piece with its great comic touches, and more than the occasional bizarre moment.

Oh yes lest I forget, Meng uses stirring Russian music for his soundtrack, possibly to evoke memories of how the two industrial nations countries were once aligned together, or maybe not, but it adds a real dramatic edge to the movie.

It comes together as a faultless whole piece, and the only thing one is left wanting, is more.

P.S. This is one of the ‘DVD’s of The Month’ released by http://www.filmmovement.com/ an online movie club for indie and foreign films.  They are sent to you automatically when you subscribe and at least 2/3 months before they are generally available.  The best thing about this is that one gets to experience movies that you may not have chosen, and most of them are real treats.  And occasionally like this one, a real gem.