The Dwarf In China (2014) (trailer)

3

A dwarf, a dragon, and a golden egg. Yet the real fairy-tale of this film is the journey of Jeanmarie,
the Dutch street performer. In an adventurous project, Jeanmarie teams up with youth worker Frank to travel through the last remaining untouched regions of China, performing his new show to local children. As they transport their wondrous music machine from village to village, they bring laughter and intrigue to all who witness their magical performance, reuniting reality with fantasy, Europe and Asia.

“Woopie wow guys!” A large box is carefully prised open to reveal yet another wooden box, this time a newly-made barrel organ, a wondrously intricate machine that will bring their show to life. Jeanmarie’s hands tremble as he carefully feeds the organ music card into the magical mechanism, yet as he turns the handle, the instrument’s whimsical flutes breathe into life, and in turn Jeanmarie breathes a sigh of relief. The excitement in his face is palpable: he and Frank are now ready to perform.

The Dwarf in China is a touching insight into the pursuit of magic by two men from the Netherlands in an effort to ward off the sterile harshness of modern reality. This duo of child entertainers, Jeanmarie and Frank, have joined forces in their tour of the mountain regions of China, bringing joy to school children with their delightful show involving a dwarf, a dragon, and a golden egg.

The film offers a tantalising glimpse into life within extremely remote village communities in the Yunnan region, as we gaze through the imaginative eyes of Jeanmarie, experiencing with him the hospitality of the local people. The film creates a dynamic fusion between the two cultures, bringing together two traditions of folklore from Asia and Europe into one universal impression of humanity. As Frank is earlier named “foreign teacher”, the concept of foreignness is subtly questioned throughout the film, and replaced by a performance that connects diverse different peoples through a shared sense of “pure enjoyment”.

However, this dream-like sense of harmony is forever threatened, as Jeanmarie struggles over “finding the balance between how far you go in dreaming your own reality with respecting the fact that we were born in this world with a number of hard economic facts that keep everyone in a straight-jacket.” As their journey continues, their determination to spread wonder to their audiences comes up against many logistical difficulties, yet their belief in creating something special between themselves and the people of China is the resounding message of their magical culture-crossing voyage.

In a film as imaginative and whimsical as Jeanmarie’s play itself, this is a poignant tale of passion and conviction to follow and fulfil your dreams.

www.thedwarfinchina.com
Trending Videos
Born Sexy Yesterday: A Hollywood Movie Trope That Maybe Needs to Die
18 min - "This video essay is about a gendered trope that has bothered me for years but didn’t have a name, so I gave it one: Born Sexy Yesterday. It's a science fiction convention in which the mind of a...
Water Has a Memory (2023)
12 min - Matriarch and Environmental Ambassador for the Ponca Nation, Casey Camp-Horinek takes us through the occupied territory of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Through the ancestral teachings of her Ponca...
The Friendship Recession | Richard Reeves
9 min - Why friendships are becoming rarer in America, explained by author Richard Reeves. 
Right America: Feeling Wronged (2009)
45 min - On the day Barack Obama was elected the 44th President, more than 58 million voters cast their ballots for John McCain. In the months leading up to this historic election, filmmaker Alexandra...
Trailers
Most Watched Documentaries
More Free Documentaries
Recommended

Films For Action hosts a subscription service that currently offers 55 highly-curated, solutions-oriented feature documentaries to Patron subscribers donating $5 per month. 

Subscribe here. Your support helps grow our 5000+ video library, which is 99% free and contains no ads thanks to our patrons.