"Mongolian Ping Pong" has all the elements that made "The Story of the Weeping Camel" such an appealing film. It is filmed on location in China's Inner Mongolia, uses nonprofessional actors and employs a folkloric plot to great advantage.
After seven year old Bilike discovers a ping pong ball floating by in a nearby stream, he becomes convinced that it was sent by river spirits. After his grandmother assures him that this is true and refers to it as a "glowing pearl," it becomes a gift from the gods in his youthful eyes. His eventual discovery of the ping pong ball's true origins constitutes a coming of age tale that will be appealing to all ages. Unlike the cynically packaged "family films" that get mass produced in Hollywood, this is the real thing. full: http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2006/11/11/mongolian-ping-pong/
