| Lala's Gun | |
| Director: | Ning Jingwu |
| Starring: | Wang Jishuai Shi Mingma Gun Dangyuan |
| Producer: | Ning Jingqu Li Zhangjun |
| Cinematography: | Wu Lixiao |
| Editing: | Jia Cuiping |
| Studio: | Beijing Spring Thunder Films |
| Distributor: | 3 Dots Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 103 minutes |
| Language: | Hmong |
| Country: | China |
Lala's Gun is a 2008 film about the coming-of-age of a young boy as a member of China's Miao ethnic minority. The film was written and directed by Ning Jingwu and stars Wang Jishuai in the title role. Lala's Guns international sales were picked up by the Taiwan-based 3 Dots Entertainment.[1] The film's world showed at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival as part of its Generation 14plus program.[2]
Lala's Gun is the story of a boy from the village of Biasha in Congjiang County, where resides a branch of Miao minority. As part of the village's tradition, every boy upon reaching the age of fifteen was to receive a gun from his father as a symbol of reaching manhood. Lala, however, was raised by his grandmother after being abandoned by his father followed by his mother's death. As his 15th birthday approached, Lala departed Biasha and started a journey of searching the father he hadn't seen for years.
The film's limited exposure to international markets has garnered it some above average reviews. Though many western critics have faulted the film for its simplistic story, even while praising the film's lush visuals and nuanced portrayal of the Miao people.[3] Derek Elley of Variety, for example, notes that what the film lacks in narrative, it makes up for in its "verismo detail".[4]