
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Seen it?2002 | 116 min | Drama, Romance
Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (77% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics.
- The mood
- Warm and romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 56 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Chinese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
During the Cultural Revolution, two young men are sent to a remote mining village where they fall in love with the local tailor's beautiful granddaughter and discover a suitcase full of forbidden Western novels.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
77% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 8K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Dai Sijie
- Zhou XunLittle Seamstress
- Chen KunLuo Min
- Liu YeMa Jianling
- Wang ShuangbaoHead of the Village
- Cong ZhijunOld Tailor
- Wang HongweiFour Eyes
- Xiao XiongMother of Four Eyes
- Zuohui TangOld Mill Worker
- Chen TianyuDirector of the Commune
- Qing-yun FanDoctor