It boasts some fine acting, makes surprising narrative turns, and manages to tug at the heartstrings without being grossly maniupulative.
As transparent as much of the movie is, especially the way it contrasts the lowest of the low struggling against a man so evil he'd let all of their possessions be destroyed in pursuit of his own selfish gains, it also contains a few plot surprises, none so admirable as the complete shift in time and location. I admit I didn't see that coming and liked where it took the story.
The movie is also pretty good and eliciting an emotional response, even, as I said before, by simply allowing its characters to show what they're feeling through facial expressions. A couple of unspeakably sad events occur in the film, but they're handled thoughtfully and make sense within the story. Only the ending would I call a narrative failure because it undermines so much of what came before and the action of the scene is patently forced.
Naturally the movie won't appeal to cynics or people who don't think the struggles of two people amount to a hill of beans, but for a movie with TV-quality production values and a fairly stock plot, it still manages to be emotionally compelling throughout. You want these characters to succeed in life because it seems like the whole notion of cosmic justice rests on it.
Video:
Cinema Epoch presents "My Beautiful Jinjimaa" in 1:33:1 full frame. The transfer is clean and shows a nice contrast between the bleak, white exterior sequences and the warm, inviting colors of the interiors. Only a few of the interior scenes were under-lit, resulting in a noisy image. Given the lower quality of the source material, it is likely that "My Beautiful Jinjimaa" looks as good on DVD as it can. White English subtitles are displayed against a faintly black background, making them easy to read.
Audio:
The movie is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo. Dialogue is clean and easy to hear, though naturally most of us will be reading the movie anyway since it is in Mongolian. The several music cues of the movie are well mixed, especially the title theme, which is catchy enough to have you whistling the chorus.
Extras:
If you count the ability to pick a scene as an extra, then this movie has two bonus features. The other one is a slideshow of box covers also available from Cinema Epoch.
Summary:
Folks who like weepy melodramas will likely appreciate "My Beautiful Jinjimaa" as a well-paced entry in the genre. It boasts some fine acting from its lead characters, makes surprising narrative turns, and manages to tug at the heartstrings without being grossly manipulative. As much of it takes place in rural Mongolia, you also get to learn about a culture that's likely far removed from your own.
The movie is also pretty good and eliciting an emotional response, even, as I said before, by simply allowing its characters to show what they're feeling through facial expressions. A couple of unspeakably sad events occur in the film, but they're handled thoughtfully and make sense within the story. Only the ending would I call a narrative failure because it undermines so much of what came before and the action of the scene is patently forced.
Naturally the movie won't appeal to cynics or people who don't think the struggles of two people amount to a hill of beans, but for a movie with TV-quality production values and a fairly stock plot, it still manages to be emotionally compelling throughout. You want these characters to succeed in life because it seems like the whole notion of cosmic justice rests on it.
Video:
Cinema Epoch presents "My Beautiful Jinjimaa" in 1:33:1 full frame. The transfer is clean and shows a nice contrast between the bleak, white exterior sequences and the warm, inviting colors of the interiors. Only a few of the interior scenes were under-lit, resulting in a noisy image. Given the lower quality of the source material, it is likely that "My Beautiful Jinjimaa" looks as good on DVD as it can. White English subtitles are displayed against a faintly black background, making them easy to read.
Audio:
The movie is presented in Dolby Digital Stereo. Dialogue is clean and easy to hear, though naturally most of us will be reading the movie anyway since it is in Mongolian. The several music cues of the movie are well mixed, especially the title theme, which is catchy enough to have you whistling the chorus.
Extras:
If you count the ability to pick a scene as an extra, then this movie has two bonus features. The other one is a slideshow of box covers also available from Cinema Epoch.
Summary:
Folks who like weepy melodramas will likely appreciate "My Beautiful Jinjimaa" as a well-paced entry in the genre. It boasts some fine acting from its lead characters, makes surprising narrative turns, and manages to tug at the heartstrings without being grossly manipulative. As much of it takes place in rural Mongolia, you also get to learn about a culture that's likely far removed from your own.
![Spectacular Spider-Man, The [TV Show]](/images/displaymedia.php?id=24733&sizew=70&cat=3)
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.