WHEN RUOMA WAS SEVENTEEN
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2004 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Filled with stunningly beautiful landscapes and colorful markets, Zhang Jiarui's WHEN RUOMA WAS SEVENTEEN (RUOMA DE SHI QI SUI) is a simple, sweet and relatively uneventful film. Its pleasures lie in the scenes of everyday life in China and in enjoying the small adventures of its lovely young star, Li Min, who plays Ruoma.
When we meet Ruoma, she is working in the market cooking corn on her tiny hibachi. When she is able to sell some corn, she gets fifty cents an ear. Initially the seventeen-year-old Ruoma appears to be about twelve. With a colorful headdress of multi-colored string hanging from its top, she catches the eye of a photographer who eventually gets the idea of making money by having her pose with tourists beside the "famous Chinese terrace" -- a spectacular series of rice paddies, banked with one below another for as far as the eye can see. Charging ten yuan per photo, they hope to make some money, but she smiles so happily that you can see that the excursions with the photographer are so much fun for her that she'd probably pose for free.
Ruoma's one big dream is to go to a big city and ride in a glass elevator. I won't say whether she makes it or not. What I will say is that her joy seems to age her. She goes from appearing immature for her age to being a fully blossomed seventeen year old. When she smiles, you'll smile too. It's infectious.
WHEN RUOMA WAS SEVENTEEN runs 1:28. The film is in Mandarin with English subtitles. It is not rated but would be PG-13 for very brief strong language and would be acceptable for any kid old enough to be able to read subtitles.
The film was shown as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival (www.Cinequest.org), which ran March 3-14, 2004.
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