Putting it politely, China is not specifically known for its democratic processes. Normally in Chinese schools, Class Monitor is chosen by the teachers however, on this occasion, the staff have decided to hold a democratic election among the eight year olds to elect a class committee and the student with the most votes there will become Monitor. The three candidates selected are Luo Lei, Cheng Cheng and Xu Xiaofei and so begins the process of canvassing, debating and electioneering.
A marvellous little film this one. Filmed in the Chinese school in question, the crew have great access to the classroom and the home lives of the candidates and as a result we get a fascinating snapshot of the democratic process. I chose to ignore the voices in the back of my head that nag at me about how "real" it all is and how the crew got such great access within China etc because the structure of the film is engaging enough to make me forget these minor worries. The "plot" of the documentary is really the candidates taking on one another in debates and trying to win the popular vote and on this level it is really engaging. It helps that the three pupils are real lively characters and make for interesting subjects but of greater value to me was watching how all the things we have come to know in elections are right there from the very start in these eight year olds and their parents.
We get dirty tricks, as seen in Xiaofei's opposition organising booing and jeering during her talent show. We get lying and manipulation of the voters and the other candidates; Cheng Cheng being a surprisingly Machiavellian character given his age. It is also fun to watch how the naïve attitude of Lei (saying that he wants people to just vote for whoever they want) is changed as he becomes more driven and clever. Of course all candidates show the importance of presentation and spin as they present themselves, as well as jumping right into negative campaigning against one another as well.
Without any obvious prompting from the filmmakers, this all just seems to happen and it is interesting to see it all develop seemingly naturally. The children themselves are a delight and the classroom is full of life and energy, making it easy to engage with even if you are not taken by the parallels with Western democracy. A great little film then; not entirely sure what its agenda is or how it fits in with the real political situation in China but it is fascinating nonetheless to see the election process immediately bring out all the tricks and negativity that we have become tired of in the West.
A marvellous little film this one. Filmed in the Chinese school in question, the crew have great access to the classroom and the home lives of the candidates and as a result we get a fascinating snapshot of the democratic process. I chose to ignore the voices in the back of my head that nag at me about how "real" it all is and how the crew got such great access within China etc because the structure of the film is engaging enough to make me forget these minor worries. The "plot" of the documentary is really the candidates taking on one another in debates and trying to win the popular vote and on this level it is really engaging. It helps that the three pupils are real lively characters and make for interesting subjects but of greater value to me was watching how all the things we have come to know in elections are right there from the very start in these eight year olds and their parents.
We get dirty tricks, as seen in Xiaofei's opposition organising booing and jeering during her talent show. We get lying and manipulation of the voters and the other candidates; Cheng Cheng being a surprisingly Machiavellian character given his age. It is also fun to watch how the naïve attitude of Lei (saying that he wants people to just vote for whoever they want) is changed as he becomes more driven and clever. Of course all candidates show the importance of presentation and spin as they present themselves, as well as jumping right into negative campaigning against one another as well.
Without any obvious prompting from the filmmakers, this all just seems to happen and it is interesting to see it all develop seemingly naturally. The children themselves are a delight and the classroom is full of life and energy, making it easy to engage with even if you are not taken by the parallels with Western democracy. A great little film then; not entirely sure what its agenda is or how it fits in with the real political situation in China but it is fascinating nonetheless to see the election process immediately bring out all the tricks and negativity that we have become tired of in the West.