Growing Up

Growing up in the dregs of Chinese society is no joke. In the Chinese directors Wang Dongdong and Chang Yu follows a number of poor children who are "fortunate" enough to be selected to train as acrobats with the HeiLongJiang Group in Beijing: their "only chance at a good life." But they have to work very hard for it. The bruises and bodily punishment and the trainers' scathing reprimands stand in stark contrast to the children's enchanting and sophisticated movements as they prepare for fairytale-like performances. The filmmakers film the children for six months in their daily life, following them from the training hall to the dormitory and play area. In between, they do short interviews and document the personal dramas of a girl whose lack of money leaves her excluded, a boy who ends up in hospital with a compound fracture, and another youngster who is thrown out of the group because of bad behaviour. The voiceover tells about the backgrounds of the training. Those who fail forfeit their future, as it is usually too late to start something else. The children only leave the school for the national youth acrobatics championships, "on their way to a life with many fresh starts but few victories."