컨페티(영어: confetti)는 축제, 결혼식 등의 행사에서 사용되는 종이다. 일반적으로는 색종이를 작게 사각형이나 삼각형으로 재단한 것이 사용되고 있다.
A 'Confetti' of social, cultural, and personal differences.
Director/Writer Ann Hu has a small library of work, sporadic and brief in measure, but boy, can it pack a punch in those 3 independent pictures. More like an explosion of...well, Confetti.
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In 2021, ironically after the well noted attack on Asian Americans and their culture, we have a delightful slice of that very lesson we need to learn, or have the potential to learn.
Ann Hu insures this with a very detailed and imaginative script that brings about the struggles of the impressive Zhu Zhu as a young mother in China, desperate to see that her little girl will receive the best levels of education depite learning disabilities. It might sound simple, but as the mother and her daughter sojourn to New York City, you realize learning disabilities, language, and culture, are not the only barriers they will have to defeat.
Hu introduces a varied set of supporting characters involved in this case. A compassionate teacher, A cranky woman with years of baggage, and an instructor. Zhu Zhu portrays the lead beautifully. We are given a wide range of different moments which show her struggle, and how it relates to the culture she was raised in. She delivers the part with stamina and balance. Helen Slater and Amy Irving are a most marvelous pair to see in this little movie. We don't see either of them as often, and so thus their involvement is a sight to behold, and they're both great in their roles. The young Harmonie He is a real treat. Adorably focused and poised with umph and discipline. She's a young talent on par with Shirley Temple who just might go far.
Hu sprinkles her narrative with hints of the back story for the mother of the story, and how she has struggled too, similarly and without help. We are gifted to instances wherein our view of the world becomes momentarily distorted when we see the world through her eyes. It's at this point that we begin to see where things are TRULY deeper than they appear. We come to learn everyone has a story, and everyone struggles. There is also, a fantastic presence of unity suggested by such circumstances. Suddenly, this situation is not black and white, cut and dry, iron and steel. None of it. People are complex, life is complicated, and most dilemmas do not get fixed easily.
Hu's message is ultimately positive, wrought with reconciliation and acceptance on life, who we are, where we are and come from. It's a definite thinking picture, but on terms of people and only people, not a societal whole like most american films are desperately trying to do today. This film is personal, it's deep, and it's powerful. Such a move as this on Hu's part, plays out more like a celebration of cultural and societal differences, and here we see the sweet imaginative way we connect through our own beings, and the way to do that, is us.
helpful•6
2
Reviews
Confetti
Nell Minow August 20, 2021
Now streaming on:
Powered by JustWatch
"Confetti" is a gentle story about a mother who will do anything to get help for her dyslexic daughter. The obstacles she faces are daunting. They live in China, where the schools make no accommodations for students who are "not normal." "The school only provides standardized education," an official explains. A visiting American teacher (George Christophe as Tommy) realizes that Mei Mei (the adorable Harmonie He) is dyslexic but exceptionally gifted. Determined to find a school that will make her daughter "normal," Lan (Zhu Zhu) who has been a janitor at the school that expelled Mei Mei, decides to bring her to America. "America is 36th in the world," the Chinese educator tells Lan dismissively. Mei Mei's classmates jeer as she leaves the school, reflecting the East/West cultural divide between prioritizing the group vs. the individual, and therefore making "normal" mean something very different, as explored by Gish Jen in her book, The Girl at the Baggage Claim.
Fans of 1980s films will enjoy seeing Amy Irving and Helen Slater as two of the people Lan and Mei Mei meet in New York. Irving plays Helen, a wheelchair-bound writer who agreed to take in Lan and Mei Mei but did not know that Lan spoke no English. She immediately tries to offload them onto someone else, but by the time another option is available, Helen has become caught up in their quest. Her increasing involvement in the effort to find a place for Mei Mei to get an education allows her to let go of the burden of grief that has lead to writer's block.
Slater plays Dr. Wurmer, the head of Horizon, an expensive private school that Lan and Helen believe is Mei Mei's last hope, after the public school, which bills itself as inclusive, is not able to find a way to help her. Horizon has an iron-clad two-year wait list. They will not consider an applicant without a $5000 neuro-psych evaluation to show that she can benefit from their program and, as impossible to get, a letter confirming Lan's off-the-books employment.
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The story is told as a flashback, beginning with Helen's recorded plea to Dr. Wurmer. She says that "the world is one big web of stories," and the film comes to us in a series of titled chapters. We learn that the story is as much Lan's as it is Mei Mei's. Lan's insistence on finding a way to make Mei Mei "normal" has as much to do with her own life as it does her daughter's and with a secret she may not have kept as well as she thinks. Zhu's performance is a wonder throughout, her lovely face reflecting at the same time the crushing shame that holds her back and the fierce resolve that keeps her moving forward. Zhu's scenes with Yanan Li as her husband are tender and bittersweet, with a natural intimacy that feels like eavesdropping.
It is not just love for her daughter that propels Lan's efforts, but the possibility of getting herself a second chance. Tommy's explanation that dyslexia is like trying to use an American plug in an Asian outlet helps Lan understand her own struggles. Her realization that "normal" is not the goal is meaningful for herself and her daughter.
Writer/director Ann Hu, who based the film on her own experience, has a gift for subtle details that illuminate character and culture. The contrasting Chinese and American classrooms, the piles of books in Helen's New York apartment, the eye-glasses Lan does not need but wears to make her look more intellectual, help keep the film's world vibrant and engaging. If it all comes together too neatly, that is nothing less than Lan, Mei Mei, and Hu deserve. Beyond the story of Lin and Mei Mei or even of Hu, the film is a plea for every child to have the opportunity to learn.
Now playing in theaters.
Hu introduces a varied set of supporting characters involved in this case. A compassionate teacher, A cranky woman with years of baggage, and an instructor. Zhu Zhu portrays the lead beautifully. We are given a wide range of different moments which show her struggle, and how it relates to the culture she was raised in. She delivers the part with stamina and balance. Helen Slater and Amy Irving are a most marvelous pair to see in this little movie. We don't see either of them as often, and so thus their involvement is a sight to behold, and they're both great in their roles. The young Harmonie He is a real treat. Adorably focused and poised with umph and discipline. She's a young talent on par with Shirley Temple who just might go far.
Hu sprinkles her narrative with hints of the back story for the mother of the story, and how she has struggled too, similarly and without help. We are gifted to instances wherein our view of the world becomes momentarily distorted when we see the world through her eyes. It's at this point that we begin to see where things are TRULY deeper than they appear. We come to learn everyone has a story, and everyone struggles. There is also, a fantastic presence of unity suggested by such circumstances. Suddenly, this situation is not black and white, cut and dry, iron and steel. None of it. People are complex, life is complicated, and most dilemmas do not get fixed easily.
Hu's message is ultimately positive, wrought with reconciliation and acceptance on life, who we are, where we are and come from. It's a definite thinking picture, but on terms of people and only people, not a societal whole like most american films are desperately trying to do today. This film is personal, it's deep, and it's powerful. Such a move as this on Hu's part, plays out more like a celebration of cultural and societal differences, and here we see the sweet imaginative way we connect through our own beings, and the way to do that, is us.
helpful•6
2
Reviews
Confetti
Nell Minow August 20, 2021
Now streaming on:
Powered by JustWatch
"Confetti" is a gentle story about a mother who will do anything to get help for her dyslexic daughter. The obstacles she faces are daunting. They live in China, where the schools make no accommodations for students who are "not normal." "The school only provides standardized education," an official explains. A visiting American teacher (George Christophe as Tommy) realizes that Mei Mei (the adorable Harmonie He) is dyslexic but exceptionally gifted. Determined to find a school that will make her daughter "normal," Lan (Zhu Zhu) who has been a janitor at the school that expelled Mei Mei, decides to bring her to America. "America is 36th in the world," the Chinese educator tells Lan dismissively. Mei Mei's classmates jeer as she leaves the school, reflecting the East/West cultural divide between prioritizing the group vs. the individual, and therefore making "normal" mean something very different, as explored by Gish Jen in her book, The Girl at the Baggage Claim.
Fans of 1980s films will enjoy seeing Amy Irving and Helen Slater as two of the people Lan and Mei Mei meet in New York. Irving plays Helen, a wheelchair-bound writer who agreed to take in Lan and Mei Mei but did not know that Lan spoke no English. She immediately tries to offload them onto someone else, but by the time another option is available, Helen has become caught up in their quest. Her increasing involvement in the effort to find a place for Mei Mei to get an education allows her to let go of the burden of grief that has lead to writer's block.
Slater plays Dr. Wurmer, the head of Horizon, an expensive private school that Lan and Helen believe is Mei Mei's last hope, after the public school, which bills itself as inclusive, is not able to find a way to help her. Horizon has an iron-clad two-year wait list. They will not consider an applicant without a $5000 neuro-psych evaluation to show that she can benefit from their program and, as impossible to get, a letter confirming Lan's off-the-books employment.
Advertisement
The story is told as a flashback, beginning with Helen's recorded plea to Dr. Wurmer. She says that "the world is one big web of stories," and the film comes to us in a series of titled chapters. We learn that the story is as much Lan's as it is Mei Mei's. Lan's insistence on finding a way to make Mei Mei "normal" has as much to do with her own life as it does her daughter's and with a secret she may not have kept as well as she thinks. Zhu's performance is a wonder throughout, her lovely face reflecting at the same time the crushing shame that holds her back and the fierce resolve that keeps her moving forward. Zhu's scenes with Yanan Li as her husband are tender and bittersweet, with a natural intimacy that feels like eavesdropping.
It is not just love for her daughter that propels Lan's efforts, but the possibility of getting herself a second chance. Tommy's explanation that dyslexia is like trying to use an American plug in an Asian outlet helps Lan understand her own struggles. Her realization that "normal" is not the goal is meaningful for herself and her daughter.
Writer/director Ann Hu, who based the film on her own experience, has a gift for subtle details that illuminate character and culture. The contrasting Chinese and American classrooms, the piles of books in Helen's New York apartment, the eye-glasses Lan does not need but wears to make her look more intellectual, help keep the film's world vibrant and engaging. If it all comes together too neatly, that is nothing less than Lan, Mei Mei, and Hu deserve. Beyond the story of Lin and Mei Mei or even of Hu, the film is a plea for every child to have the opportunity to learn.
Now playing in theaters.
===
How far would a mother go to reverse her child's fate? Based on writer/director Ann Hu's story, that's the question facing Lan (ZHU ZHU), who travels with her 9-year-old daughter Meimei (HARMONIE HE) from their small town in China to New York City. Inflicted with a learning disability, Meimei is considered a strange and dumb girl, an outcast in her school and community. What no one recognizes, however, is that she possesses a gift waiting to be unlocked. The world seen through her eyes is unique and filled with magic. When her mother learns that Meimei suffers from dyslexia, as do 1 in 10 people worldwide, she will stop at nothing to help her, including leaving her life in China behind and venturing alone with Meimei to New York City, braving a place she knows nothing about and speaking not a word of English. Their pursuit of the impossible is a rollercoaster, impacted by the numerous people who come into their lives and affect their journey along the way, including Helen (AMY IRVING), a wheelchair-bound, outspoken writer who reluctantly takes them in. Navigating schools for a recent immigrant with special needs presents unique challenges, and ultimately Lan's low-wage factory job and visiting immigrant status endanger Meimei's acceptance at a special school. What Lan and Meimei discover, is that in a world where people are judged and often not seen, their courage to believe in themselves against all odds will eventually lead them to people who do see them for who they truly are.
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Critics Reviews
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Critic's Name
Cath Clarke
Publication
Guardian
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The review
Confetti is a little predictable and comfortable, but heartfelt.
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Fresh score.
Rated: 3/5 •
Date
Oct 19, 2022
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Larushka Ivan-Zadeh
Publication
metro.co.uk
TOP CRITIC
The review
Dyslexia is still not officially recognised in China, something writer/director Ann Hu clearly aims to change with this awareness raising, semi-autobiographical story.
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Fresh score.
Date
Oct 19, 2022
Full Review
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Critic's Name
Nell Minow
Publication
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
The review
Writer/director Ann Hu, who based the film on her own experience, has a gift for subtle details that illuminate character and culture.
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Fresh score.
Rated: 3/4 •
Date
Aug 20, 2021
Full Review
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Critic's Name
Jennie Kermode
Publication
Eye for Film
The review
Zhu is excellent and her performance really elevates the film.
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Fresh score.
Rated: 3/5 •
Date
Oct 26, 2022
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Critic's Name
Joel Fisher
Publication
Battle Royale With Cheese
The review
This means that although the story is well told performed well and well thought out, its overall message makes the film feel like a teaching tool rather than a heartfelt story.
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Rotten score.
Date
Oct 23, 2022
Full Review
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Critic's Name
Pat Padua
Publication
Spectrum Culture
The review
Ann Hu's semi-autobiographical film hits touching if predictable notes, but the strong cast completely sells the material.
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Fresh score.
Rated: 68/100 •
Date
Sep 20, 2021
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Facebook U
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An inspiring story about a mom that does whatever it takes to make sure her daughter gets the opportunity to live an extraordinary life.
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Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Date
08/27/21
Full Review
Critic's Name
Maria S
The review
Excellent movie! Wish a lot of people would take sometime to see it. It is the sad struggle a great deal of parents go through when their child has dyslexia. The story now takes place in China and NY. A bit rosy but the message is more important than that! The few lines on who is or is not normal are beautiful and also Important. I higly recommend this movie.
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Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Date
08/22/21
Full Review
Critic's Name
brent m
The review
As noble and uplifting as this family drama is, especially in its depiction of a concerned parent willing to do anything to help her child, the film is a little too rote all around to make it engaging and affecting. Writer-director Ann Hu's third feature addresses the issue of dyslexia and what a loving mother puts herself through to aid her daughter, a victim of an inadequate, unenlightened Chinese education system, to help her get the assistance she needs to overcome her learning disability. With the assistance of an American teacher on an educational exchange program, mother and child subsequently relocate to New York to get that help, aided by one the educator's friends, an assertive, disabled writer who takes them in. Once there, the narrative faithfully follows the tried-and-true formula of what's involved in realizing that objective, touching on each required development in precise, perfectly timed order. While the film may indeed be informative about its subject matter, its predictable presentation format could have just as easily been used to address almost any other health-related, psychological or social issue; simply plug in the right pieces to achieve the desired result. Ironically, though, there are also some story elements that are all too easily glossed over, making one wonder how some developments occur with surprisingly remarkable ease. Then there's the casting, which could use some shoring up, too; while Zhu Zhu as mom and Harmonie He as daughter are fine, the supporting performances leave much to be desired, particularly those turned in by Helen Slater and Amy Irving, both of whom could have phoned in their portrayals. Clearly, this is a picture with its heart and intentions in the right place, but its execution needs more spit, polish and imagination to draw audiences in and keep them suitably riveted.
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Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Date
03/31/23
Full Review
Critic's Name
Daniel S
The review
Touching, moving intimate little gem about a family dealing with dyslexia in an even stranger land.
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Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Date
09/07/21
Full Review
Critic's Name
Elle
The review
Great film about overcoming life's challenges and what a mother will sacrifice for her child. I loved it!
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Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Date
08/31/21
Full Review
Critic's Name
Audience Member
The review
Beautifully done, suttle, understated, powerfully emotional journey that is so timely and timeless at the same time.
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Date
01/22/23
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Synopsis
How far would a mother go to reverse her child's fate? Based on writer/director Ann Hu's story, that's the question facing Lan (ZHU ZHU), who travels with her 9-year-old daughter Meimei (HARMONIE HE) from their small town in China to New York City. Inflicted with a learning disability, Meimei is considered a strange and dumb girl, an outcast in her school and community. What no one recognizes, however, is that she possesses a gift waiting to be unlocked. The world seen through her eyes is unique and filled with magic. When her mother learns that Meimei suffers from dyslexia, as do 1 in 10 people worldwide, she will stop at nothing to help her, including leaving her life in China behind and venturing alone with Meimei to New York City, braving a place she knows nothing about and speaking not a word of English. Their pursuit of the impossible is a rollercoaster, impacted by the numerous people who come into their lives and affect their journey along the way, including Helen (AMY IRVING), a wheelchair-bound, outspoken writer who reluctantly takes them in. Navigating schools for a recent immigrant with special needs presents unique challenges, and ultimately Lan's low-wage factory job and visiting immigrant status endanger Meimei's acceptance at a special school. What Lan and Meimei discover, is that in a world where people are judged and often not seen, their courage to believe in themselves against all odds will eventually lead them to people who do see them for who they truly are.
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Confetti review – mother goes to ends of the earth to champion dyslexic daughter
This article is more than 1 year old
Heartfelt, gently moving drama inspired by director Ann Hu’s own experiences, will resonate with any parent who has had to advocate for their child
Cath Clarke
Wed 19 Oct 2022 17.00 AEDT
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Any parent who has had to advocate for their child will find something to relate to in Chinese-American director Ann Hu’s well-intentioned and gently moving drama. It’s loosely inspired by her own experiences raising a dyslexic daughter, fictionalised here into the story of an illiterate woman who goes to the ends of the earth – at least that’s how it feels – in emigrating from China to New York to get specialist educational support for her seven-year-old.
The acting is patchy in places, but Harmonie He marches away with the movie with a lively performance as sunny little Meimei, who is unable to read or write at school in China. Just before Meimei is expelled (“not normal” is the headteacher’s verdict), a visiting American teacher, Thomas (George Christopher), spots her dyslexia. At this moment, you might well adopt the brace position for white saviour. But it’s Meimei’s mum Lan (Zhu Zhu), a school caretaker, who saves the day. Uneducated herself, Lan makes the wrenching decision to leave her husband and take Meimei to America.
In New York, unable to speak English, Lan gets a job working as a live-in housekeeper-carer to a writer who uses a wheelchair. This is Helen (Amy Irving), who wants peace and quiet to finish a book, not a young family in her apartment. But of course, Meimei melts her heart in five minutes flat. At times the script feels in a hurry to neatly tie up characters’ feelings. What does feel authentic is Lan’s tooth and nail battle to get Meimei into an expensive private school for children with dyslexia. “Getting into Harvard is a breeze by comparison,” says a teacher, rolling his eyes. Helen Slater gives a sensitive performance as the school’s principal Dr Wurmer, a tough but compassionate gatekeeper who must make impossible decisions about whose seven-year-old daughter gets a life-changing education. Confetti is a little predictable and comfortable, but heartfelt.
Confetti is released on 21 October in cinemas.
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