Mang Shan (Blind Mountain) (2007)

83% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
82% of users liked it
(734 ratings)

Chinese director Li Yang's meller Blind Mountain unabashedly tackles the issue of white slavery. Lu Huang stars as Bai Xuemei, a student conned by traffickers and sold as a wife to an isolated village. Raped, beaten, and forced into sex slavery, she gains no sympathy from the apathetic locals, who… More Chinese director Li Yang's meller Blind Mountain unabashedly tackles the issue of white slavery. Lu Huang stars as Bai Xuemei, a student conned by traffickers and sold as a wife to an isolated village. Raped, beaten, and forced into sex slavery, she gains no sympathy from the apathetic locals, who resent her presence. Eventually, help arrives, but such assistance is illusory, and only indicates the beginning of another onslaught of tragedy. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Yang Li
Written By: Li Yang
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: May 20, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Jan 6, 2009

Critic Reviews

Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
It's a harsh portrait of a brutal segment of society, only relieved by an occasional handsome landscape shot (filmed in the Shaanxi province) that makes Bai's plight all the more compelling.
Tasha Robinson, Chicago Tribune
[Director] Li was a documentarian before he switched to feature films with the highly praised 2003 feature Blind Shaft, and it shows in his raw style.
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
This is a resolutely tough-minded, beautifully crafted film so compelling as to make bearable watching the nearly unbearable.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Even trimmed, the film is a stinging and frightening indictment of mainland China.
Manohla Dargis, New York Times
Blind Mountain, the second feature from Li Yang, is a reminder that art sometimes keeps the truth alive far better than the news.
J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Easily fits the paradigm parodied by Funny Games. The difference: This movie actually has a political point.
Leo Goldsmith, Reverse Shot
With its complex (and, at times, deeply problematic) intersection of an educated outsider with the stubborn realities of rural life, Blind Mountain explicitly harkens back to those classic works from the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, like Yellow
Nora Lee Mandel, Film-Forward.com
Effective at showing how hard it is for even a spirited and educated woman to escape a community complicit in a brutal arranged marriage, but few characters have complexity.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
Blind Mountain, the second film from fledgling Chinese filmmaker Li Yang, demonstrates many of the same qualities that made his first, Blind Shaft, one of the most promising directorial debuts of recent years.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
Li's spare script works well with his choice to employ non-actors.
Ed Scheid, Boxoffice Magazine
Blind Mountain becomes a tense struggle of would-be escape.
David Fear, Time Out New York
For all its regional specificity and grit, the majority of Blind Mountain's turns could have come from any Hollywood-issue flick.
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
Colored fully within the lines and with scant few moments of fascination
Noel Murray, AV Club
For the second film in a row, [director] Li excoriates the values of an increasingly market-driven China, where people treat their fellows as products to be exploited, and scramble to get an edge on their 'competitors.'
Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Li's bold, angry film depicts a merciless society completely defined by commerce.
Kevin Lee, Slant Magazine
With Blind Mountain, 6th Generation Chinese maverick Li Yang continues his scorched-earth treatment of 5th Generation heroic peasant stereotypes launched by his debut feature Blind Shaft.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
Li's documentary approach brooks no sentimentality in its portrayal of the loss of innocence.

Read all 17 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dimitris S

Second part of an unofficial trilogy by Yang Li,the shadowy prelude is moving into a lavishing tale of filthy spiritual tone!Should I repeat that?Better watch this exploding torture yourselves,the torment of unfair treatment,aye,where the mountains fear to roar..