Minzhi Wei is marvellous in her eponymous role as the determined thirteen year old substitute teacher in a village primary school in 1990's China. Bearing in mind the artistic and cultural restrictions in China, this film is both a touching portrayal of individual humanity in China, and a searing indictment of the state of China's rural economy and the government's inability to tackle the level of need of its poorest people. By focusing on the individual, Zhang Yimou has none the less laid bear social inequality in Chinese society, and the resulting poor treatment and casting aside of the country's poorest and weakest citizens, with the skill of the finest of surgeons.

I suppose 'heart warming' are the first words that come to mind but lest that put anyone off, I have to say that it is the way Mr Zhang involves us from the very beginning that is the reason for the film's success. Beautifully shot with some wonderful natural light, our first glimpse of the rural backwater is astonishing. Almost immediately though we are drawn into a drama involving a thirteen year old girl being put in charge of a school of youngsters. The usual teacher has to visit sick relatives for a month and he leaves the girl behind with specific instructions to keep the schoolchildren from leaving school. Hence the film's title. Of course one goes missing and she follows to the city to try and find him, which becomes the story of the film. It is fascinating to see and believe the degree of poverty in the village and wonder as the children do at the difficulty of surviving in either place. The young girl may be acting less out of altruism than self interest but our eyes do not leave her and her concerns are ours. Seemingly non professional cast do a magnificent job, which must in no small part be down to Zhang, but then nobody seems to put a foot wrong. Excellent.

There are movies whose stories are so compelling that one can't help but wax enthusiastic: RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES, TOGETHER, WHY HAS BODHI-DHARMA LEFT FOR THE EAST?, THE WAY HOME, RAISE THE RED LANTERN, THE ROAD HOME, MADADAYO, I LIVE IN FEAR, FOR THE CHILDREN, BAREFOOT GEN (both), GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES, FROZEN, JU-DOU, IN THIS WORLD... The list sometimes seems endless (although it unfortunately isn't). NOT ONE LESS will wring you dry. The tearful ending is at once heartbreaking and uplifting. Like the very best of the very best movies, this one works like a magic spell from beginning to end. I can't recommend it highly enough.

It was not until the credits rolled at the end of Not One Less that I discovered the director to be Zhang Yimou. This movie is not like other films I associate with Mr. Zhang, e.g. Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, and Raise the Red Lantern, none of which is, if I remember correctly, set contemporarily and all of which are stylish and somewhat mythical. In contrast, Not One Less tries to portray typical Chinese people in typical Chinese lives, going so far as to employ as actors people whose roles in the film reflect their real life occupations – park ticket taker, TV announcer, local mayor, stationery store owner, etc.The story is tale of coming of age. A thirteen year old girl agrees to substitute teach a class in the countryside for a month for 50 Rmb. She has no experience teaching and is given little guidance as to what she should do. As an adolescent, her main goal is to follow the letter of the law as set down by the vacationing teacher, Mr. Zhang. Circumstances force her, however, to become a real teacher – that is, not just a person responsible to teach the three Rs but to act as a moral model for her students.Not One Less is refreshing. Having lived in China for a number of years, I was very happy to see (and hear) in this movie people and places that were entirely familiar. Rather than trying to tackle large social and political issues, Not One Less explores some of the contradictions people in China face today. While the ideal of everyone helping each other is lauded, the characters are poignantly aware – as people in China and throughout the world are – of the gap between the real and the ideal.