An interesting slice of life movie which used mostly non-actors in the telling of this story. The cinematography was beautiful, centering on the rice paddies, mountains, and village where A Qiu, a 12 year-old girl, lives with her grandparents and brother. The story of A Qiu and her dreams of a life beyond her village revolves around the life cycle of the rice they plant and harvest.

Her mother wants her to find a husband who lives in the valley where they are able to get two harvests a year and attain slightly greater wealth and stability than the one harvest they are limited to in the mountains. A Qiu desires so much more for her life and studies hard to be eligible for a quality secondary school. She knows that education is the opportunity for a life not tied to the rice paddies. Unfortunately, that education costs more than the little family has to spare.

Without being overly dramatic the film shows how precarious life and dreams are when the cost of education can be too high when measured by grains of rice.

I enjoyed this film largely because of the family unit who worked together and looked after each other. The score and loving shots of the characters and land wove together with the narrative to make a compelling, spare film about life, family, and dreams.