Synopsis
Bilike has never seen a ping-pong ball before. He and his family live without electricity and running water in a solitary tent home among the vast steppe grasslands. The magnificent landscape here has changed little since the days of Genghis Kahn. But life in the middle of nowhere can be exciting for a young boy. The smallest of details become big events for curious Bilike and his best friends Erguotou and Dawa. The mystery of the small white ball floating in the creek leads to questions about the world around them, as well as innocent mischief.
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Cast
- HurichabilikeBilike
- DawaDawa
- GelibanErguotou
- Sharen GaowaDawas Mutter
- YidexinnaribuBilikes Vater
- BademaBilikes Mutter
- WurimaSchwester Bilikes
- DugemaGroßmutter
- JinlaowuLKW-Fahrer
- BuhebilikeDawas Vater
Recommendations
- 75
New York Post
Movies don't come any more charming than Mongolian Ping Pong. - 75
Boston Globe
In Mongolian Ping Pong the point is to look under the majestic vistas and see value in ordinary things -- ping-pong balls included. - 75
Chicago Tribune
A tender, visually stunning comedy-drama. - 75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Takes a humorously gentle approach to the culture clash between the primitive and the modern. With wonderfully natural performances by the children, this is a family movie that crosses cultural boundaries in a celebration of the magical possibilities inherent in everyday objects. - 70
Village Voice
Much more so than any movie actually about spiritual discipline, the new Chinese film Mongolian Ping Pong could be a meditational object-- if, perhaps, it wasn't a sneaky comedy and, to boot, one of the most breathtaking cinematic records of landscape and sky ever filmed. - 70
The New York Times
Although its leisurely pace might be a bit tough going for restless Westerners, Mongolian Ping Pong is the kind of film that should rightly be seen by children, not just adventurous adults. - 70
Washington Post
This is one of the most becalming films ever made. The grasslands seem oddly serene, and to watch them is to feel your pulse rate flatten out -- yet another aspect of Mongolian Ping Pong's transcendent charm. - 60
Variety
A charming but overextended yarn about some prairie tykes who mistake a table-tennis ball for a glowing pearl from the gods.