Shun Lie and the Poet 2012

     Shun Li is a Chinese single mother in her 30’s.  She has relocated to Italy to provide a better life for herself and her son.  Unfortunately, she works for an employment agency that charged her a large sum of money to bring her to Italy.  The agency moves her from job to job, which makes it difficult for her to pay her fees and save the money bring her son to Italy.  She works in a garment factory and then moves to a job as a barmaid in a waterfront tavern in the fishing village of Chioggia.  She meets Bepi, he is a Yugoslav fisherman exile.  He likes poetry and writes some himself.  Shun Li and Bepi become friends but the community doesn’t approve because she is Chinese.  Shun Li tells Bepi stories about Qu Yuan, he is China’s most famous poet.

     This film is a story of unlikely friendships, cultural prejudice and life in a small fishing village.  Slow moving, sensitive and understated.  Also a focus on unscrupulous people preying on others who want to improve themselves but they are poor.

98 min, Drama directed by Andrea Segre with Tao Zhao, Rade Serbedzija, Marco Paolini, Roberto Citran, Giuseppe Battiston, Giordano Bacci, Spartaco Mainardi.

Note:  Imdb 7.1 out of 10, 94% critic 68% audience on Rotten Tomatoes.