Two Great Sheep - Wellington Film Society

Hao da yei dui yang
Lui Hao | China | 2004 | PG cert

In this mild-mannered satire of hierarchal life in rural China, a dutiful peasant and his wife are rewarded for their generosity to the community by being entrusted with the raising of two foreign sheep of a superior breed. The animals have been donated to the impoverished village with the promise of a livestock company to follow. The honour becomes a chore when the sheep react badly to the harsh climate and refuse to eat the inferior local grass. The couple's custodial duties are further complicated by instructions to breed the reluctant sheep. In the most amusing scene, they cover the animals' yellowing coats with white powder to make them appear healthy for an illustrated newspaper article. You can read this modest little comedy as either an uplifting fable about teamwork and good citizenship or as a spoof of a frightened society's blind obedience to authority.
- Stephen Holden, NY Times, 23 May 2005