De Chinese muur (2002) User Reviews

Wonderful

[maartenvankrimpen · 8/10 · 6 August 2003]

This was I think the best short movie that I've seen so far. I can't really remember the whole film, but what I do know is that it was a wonderful film. "De Chinese Muur" (The Chinese Wall) goes about a women in a Chinese restaurant, who's celebrating here birthday party on her own. She watches the people in the restaurant, and thinks, who they can be, why do the look like the way they do. She thinks about everyone. The women is kind of egocentric, but at the end

SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER! she sees that those people are not as weird as they look like. Or something like that, I can not exactly explain this correct in English.

"well constructed shorty"

[jorrit-gerritsen · 8/10 · 8 September 2003]

I was a production assistant and location scout on this short movie. I saw it for the first time on the big screen at the Dutch film Festival and I was surprised by the quality of this short film. The story is strong, convincing and Celia is great as the grumpy lady who's always criticizing other people. Cinematography looks good too and last but not least, what a beautiful location!!! By the way, the film won several international prices!

Very clever

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 13 July 2008]

The film begins with a middle-aged lady sitting in a Chinese restaurant alone. You then hear her thoughts as she sits there--bitter and resentful at her lot in life. It seems her husband died and she's estranged from her son and has a gloomy and negative outlook on life. In other words, her own disappointments color how she THINKS the world is--cold and disappointing (in psychology, this is known as a "negative transference", by the way). Throughout her meal, she looks at everyone in the restaurant and makes assumptions about what they're thinking, how their lives are going and their futures--and in the end it turns out that just about all of these assumptions are wrong! Exactly how she is wrong, how she discovers this and the wonderful final scene involving the young man all are things I can't discuss--as it would ruin the film. However, the film is very insightful and has a lot to say about our own personal views and the world around us. Brilliantly insightful and clever.

the emotion

[Kirpianuscus · 18 February 2019]

The emotion after its end. So special, refreshing and tender. Because you discover be a film about yourself. Prejudices, memories, lonelinesss, hypothesis about the other and the word changing everything. Tender, and bitter, and seductive. A middle age lady in a Chinese restaurant. Her thoughts. Her birthday. And the inspired end. Short, pure gem. And the admirable performance of Celia Nufaar.

Eye-opener on private prejudices

[bobsmit · 20 September 2003]

A woman in a Chinese restaurant has her own thoughts on each and every person in the restaurant and jumps to conclusions.

You tend to fully agree with her conclusions, but they are all wrong. As soon as this becomes clear, a new visitor enters, having another totally different opinion about all present people.