Pingue-Pongue da Mongólia

I went to this movie with school today. But pff, what a piece of crap! I don't understand why this movie is rated a 6.5 !?! Way overrated!

No storyline, no action, no drama, no nothing. I think they don't even had a budget for this film.

The boy, finds a ball, floating down the river, but he never saw that before. After two hours the boy finds out that a ping-p0ng-ball isn't a holy egg. But before that; he licked the ball first and then he urinated on it. (?)

note: Strange thing is that the plot line says: the family has no electricity. But there is a part in the movie showing a TV. There is also a little boy on a scooter. (But how does he tank his gas?) The movie isn't correct.

Please don't waste your time!

'Mongolian Ping Pong' is an enjoyable film which tells the story of a young boy called Bilike, who finds a ping-pong ball in the river near his house. He lives on the Mongolian steppe, fairly secluded from industrial society, and his family and friends all have their own amusing opinions of what the ping-pong ball is or is used for.

As other viewers have mentioned, the film feels a lot like "The Gods Must Be Crazy" (and I would draw comparisons to the darker Icelandic film, "Noi the Albino") and contains the trademark flourishes of these documentary-ish steppe films. This means there are tons of drawn-out shots of the landscape, lots of time where nothing is happening or nothing is being said, and a lot of time traveling from location to location. This is interesting here because the elapsed time and expansive terrain lend the events of the story more gravity. Some of the drawn-out scenes are slightly monotonous, but without this lengthy pacing the same events would not be very significant.

Still, the characters and interactions prove to be endearing and this is one of the better "steppe films" I've seen (a haha, I've only seen three or so!). The themes involve the contrast of a nomadic life against a modern industrial one, materialism in the steppes, and the significance of family and hard work. There are some beautiful shots of the plains, mountains and deserts of Mongolia and we are treated to some charming segments with various locals. It is generally what some would call a "heart-warming family film" though the subtitles and slow pace would probably alienate most children.

I've come to believe this movie is actually genius. I have not seen a more effective story that tells of the advancement of "civilizatiion" and what that means to mankind.

it's summed up in the souvenir photo sequence of the two families.

But it's the experience of the boys that brings us to realize how sterile our world has become. Like the negative reviewer in this chain basically states: it's boring cuz nothing blows up.

In our society it has become difficult to appreciate what life can offer--what life in nature, with nature, can offer. Instead, many look to movies to escape 'what is'. This film shows us a 'what is' that transcends escapism because there is a new wonder and mystery around every bend. But not the wonder and mystery of another world: the wonder of this world. And that is how we were meant to live. Instead, the movie holds a mirror up to what has happened. Why should a Steppes father keep fighting for his TV signal? Why does he trade for worthless electronic gizmos?

I found the ending profoundly sad. Sad for the boys, but moreso, sad for us. Us who live in this world of our making and cannot grasp anything beyond the literate.

The negative reviewer stated he/she saw the film with a school. I hope the teachers are able to bring this story to light for our youth. For without the reverence and mystery of everyday life you have nothing left buy the circling attempt to anesthetize your daily existence with alcohol, drugs, violence, or even the companion of escapism: TV.

Charming, subtle, funny, evocative and interesting characters. No Hollywood here, just a simple, but touching, story told through they eyes of a people and a culture that are alien to most of us. No trite sentimentality, nor appeal to national pride, nor play on insecurities of good and evil. The film and the story progress at the right pace for the time and place they are supposed to convey. If Proust appeals to you then this film is worth watching. You don't get the sense that the actors are acting which add an authentic feel to the movie. Nothing is 'enhanced' by sound or music or special effects which perfectly fits the setting. I highly recommend this film.

This movie is a slice of life taken from the Chinese Mongolian steppes where people today are still following many of the basic patterns of making a living as herdsmen as they did during the time of Ghengis Khan. The tale focuses on a young boy who finds a ping prong ball floating in the river and doesn't know what to make of it. His grandmother tells him it's a pearl from the river spirits and he tries to get it to glow. After a lack of success in getting the spirits dwelling within this mysterious pearl and after trying to get the pearl to glow, he learns that it is a ping prong ball. From a hazy TV broadcast, he learns ping prong is the National Sport, so the little plastic ball must be repatriated to Beijing. His attempt, however, creates more problems than it solves and his precious ball winds up being destroyed. The final awakening is delightful and unexpected.

All of the comments in the facing review is astoundingly vacuous and completely specious. This film is rich in ethnographic images, wonderful vistas of the vast Mongolian steppes and uncluttered portraits of a people whose inner and outer beauty is simple, honest and breathtaking. I guess the uninformed reviewer was expecting something other than real art.