Mongolian ping pong

I can't be objective about this one, simply because I'm a sucker for movies that immerse the viewer into another cultural world, stories rich with color and atmosphere and local customs, stories sometimes told without a good deal of central plot, but with a view towards capturing the inherit beauty of a region--films such as Behind The Sun, Moolaade and Respiro.

Mongolian Ping Pong is an elementary story that will drive action fans out of the room, as nothing much seems to happen very quickly--but the patient viewer is immersed in a colorful and distinctive Mongolian culture fast disappearing as Television and Motorbikes invade the vast grassy plains; a child finds a ping-pong ball floating down the local stream and thereby hangs the tale, a simple story somewhat like a BBC Nature Video with kids involved; often very funny, sometimes puzzling, but a loving, slightly anthropological take on the way humans act when driven by an ingrained culture.

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.

'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 don't know why anyone would trash this movie or be so crude when expressing opinions about it. i saw it yesterday as part of an international children's film festival at the wexner center in columbus, ohio. it was exactly what i expected--simple, dignified, and respectful of the viewer...letting us figure things out for ourselves, make our own meanings, and appreciate the story and characters. it didn't "spoon-feed" the audience the way many American movies would.

overall, the landscapes were beautiful, the characters were real and believable, and the story was sweet and original. i would highly recommend it for adults and children.

In the vein of THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY, Chinese director Hao Ning captures a similar theme in MONGOLIAN PING PONG, but instead of a coke bottle this time it's a ping pong ball.

Seven-year-old Bilike lives on the Great Mongolian Steppe in a landscape of vast plains ruled by nomads-of-ol'. He survives with his family and friends in a fairly mundane cycle of life until one day he discovers a strange, white ball floating down a nearby river. He quickly grasps it and sets himself on an adventure. No one has ever seen anything like this ball. His bewitching grandmother tells him it's a good-luck item from the gods. Others think it might be a magical pearl. Bilike and his friends are enchanted and try to figure it out on their own. Traveling to wise monks, policeman, and eventually to Beijing, Bilike eventually finds out the truth about this rather ordinary object as he is forced to grow up.

Although similar in plotting to The Gods Must Be Crazy, Mongolian Ping Pong has better usage of camera, lighting and landscape. The panoramic vistas of the Mongolian Steppe are, without a doubt, absolutely magnificent. The location plays perhaps a more central character than the characters themselves. Which caused a few problems. Hao Ning (director) lets the camera linger on these beautiful shots too often and for too long, making the pacing agonizingly slow (although beautiful, one can only watch so much of this before it gets a bit tiring). Employing no-name actors is fairly common in films such as this, but it's very evident that none of these people (kids and adults alike) have very little if any acting experience, making many character sequences fall flat or wooden.

The initial quality of the filming, too, leant itself to a slightly documentary-style feel, which isn't horrible but something that detracts a little.

But even with these flaws, the story is quaint enough and infused with childlike wonder that most viewers probably won't mind. Be forewarned, though, as mentioned earlier, it is a sloooow film but shot with art-like dedication when looking at it overall.