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Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

2002 · Movie · 116 min · ★ 6.8 · 71% critics

Drama

During China’s Cultural Revolution, two city youths are sent to a remote mountain village for “re-education” through hard labor. As they befriend a local seamstress and secretly share banned Western novels, literature and music become a risky escape that reshapes their hopes and relationships.

Based on Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Also known as Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise

IMDb

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2 hours to watch.

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Details
Original title
巴尔扎克与小裁缝
Years
2002
Release date
2002-05-16
Language
Chinese
Runtime
116 min
Critic score
71/100
TMDB rating
6.8/10 (75 votes)
About

You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a tender, thoughtful drama about censorship, friendship, and the liberating pull of books, with humor and romance; Not for you if you need fast action or clear-cut closure, like in Beijing Bicycle.

Pros: moving, engaging story; beautiful mountain scenery; sharp political satire | Cons: slow, uneven pacing; confusing, jumpy plot; ending feels vague

Themes

  • china
  • love of one's life
  • balzac
  • 1970s
  • violin
  • mountain village
  • cultural revolution
  • dressmaker
  • based on memoir or autobiography
  • sichuan

Cast & crew

Directed by Dai Sijie