Ermo (Zhou Xiaowen)

Rating: 2.0

This is the first Zhou Xiaowen film I've seen, and I wish I'd enjoyed it 
more.  My reaction may have been unfairly influenced by the fact that the 
film's skeletal plot is similar in many ways to Nikita Mikhalkov's 1992 
film CLOSE TO EDEN; I found the latter a much more moving and compelling 
work.  ERMO, to my mind, suffered enormously in comparison.  My favorite 
moments were those that showed Ermo at work, late at night, straining the 
muscles in her arms and shoulders.  Much of the time spent by Ermo in 
town, on the other hand, found me calculating how much of the movie was 
left to unspool.  Admirable in many ways, but ultimately unsatisfying for 
me.