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A Force of Nature
She and Her Girls is a biographical account of Zhang Guimei’s tireless quest to educate impoverished young women in Huaping County. It opens with a gut-wrenching portrayal of how Teacher Guimei rescues her fourteen-year-old student, Gu Yu (yes, that is still the age of consent in China), from being sold into marriage to fund her father’s drinking habits. Guimei is a force of nature, sweeping through Huaping County to save one girl at a time—even before she has the means to support their continued education. Through sheer stubbornness, tenacity, and desperate resourcefulness, she secures land for her school, strong-arms provincial authorities, recruits promising teachers, and badgers private entrepreneurs to get her girls’ school off the ground.
I was pleasantly surprised by the humor that lightens what could have been an overwhelmingly heavy story about rural China’s marginalized girls. The narrative doesn’t shy away from mocking Guimei’s more grating traits—from her deafening early-morning bullhorn to her judgmental, unforgiving demeanor. This humanizes her, preventing her from becoming a one-dimensional saint. Beyond Guimei, there’s no shortage of personal sacrifice: Chen Sihai and the teachers put their lives on hold to build the school. The sheer volume of altruism is almost suffocating, but given the obstacles, perhaps that’s what it took to succeed.
While most praise has gone to Song Jia’s award-winning, unflinching portrayal of Guimei, Gu Yu’s story moved me the most and anchored the drama. Though overlooked by awards, I found Lan Xiya (Gu Yu) and Zhang Tianyang (Chen Sihai) even more compelling than Song Jia and Nie Yuan.
The narrative peaks with Gu Yu’s academic journey. Unfortunately, none of the other girls stand out—their stories are neither well-written nor distinct from countless other coming-of-age tales. There were several natural stopping points, but like Guimei herself, the story soldiers on doggedly, trudging through forgettable generations and trite subplots. I enjoyed the drama up until the midpoint; afterward, it became a slog, further weighed down by heavy-handed propaganda.
Despite the strong script, fantastic cast, and standout moments, this is an overrated drama—nowhere near a masterpiece. There’s no segment I’d feel compelled to rewatch. The first half earns an 8.5/10, but overall, 8.0/10 is more than fair.
(To my knowledge, Gu Yu is a fictional character.)
I was pleasantly surprised by the humor that lightens what could have been an overwhelmingly heavy story about rural China’s marginalized girls. The narrative doesn’t shy away from mocking Guimei’s more grating traits—from her deafening early-morning bullhorn to her judgmental, unforgiving demeanor. This humanizes her, preventing her from becoming a one-dimensional saint. Beyond Guimei, there’s no shortage of personal sacrifice: Chen Sihai and the teachers put their lives on hold to build the school. The sheer volume of altruism is almost suffocating, but given the obstacles, perhaps that’s what it took to succeed.
While most praise has gone to Song Jia’s award-winning, unflinching portrayal of Guimei, Gu Yu’s story moved me the most and anchored the drama. Though overlooked by awards, I found Lan Xiya (Gu Yu) and Zhang Tianyang (Chen Sihai) even more compelling than Song Jia and Nie Yuan.
The narrative peaks with Gu Yu’s academic journey. Unfortunately, none of the other girls stand out—their stories are neither well-written nor distinct from countless other coming-of-age tales. There were several natural stopping points, but like Guimei herself, the story soldiers on doggedly, trudging through forgettable generations and trite subplots. I enjoyed the drama up until the midpoint; afterward, it became a slog, further weighed down by heavy-handed propaganda.
Despite the strong script, fantastic cast, and standout moments, this is an overrated drama—nowhere near a masterpiece. There’s no segment I’d feel compelled to rewatch. The first half earns an 8.5/10, but overall, 8.0/10 is more than fair.
(To my knowledge, Gu Yu is a fictional character.)
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