Reflection: Mongolian Ping Pong

Mogolian Ping Pong was much like the Weeping Camel, in the fact that they were both simple but showed a completely different way of living. Mogolian Ping Pong was centered on 3 boys and their way of living. One day, one of the boys come across a ping pong ball thats floating down the river. The ping pong sticks out like a sore thumb as it slowly makes its way down stream. Curiousity gets the best of the young boy and as he rushes to catch it. He's never seen anything like it before and takes it home to show is family. His family doesn't show much interest in the ball but his grandmother says its a 'glowing pearl.' After days of treating the ping pong ball like a treasure they hear on the television that the ping pong ball is their nation's national ball. They are convinced that their nation needs their ball back, so they go out for a quick hike to Beijing, only to stop and turn back home; realizing that Beijing is way to far. Eventually the 3 boys begin to fight over who can keep the ball, and one day a boy trades the ping pong ball for another toy. The boy who found the ball was furious, but eventually the two overcame their disagreements and were friends again. In the end, the boy who had originally found the ping pong ball goes into town to watch a performance. He gets up to go to the bathroom and gets distracted by a noise he hears, he opens the door to the unfamiliar sound and see's ping pongs everywhere.

I enjoyed this movie because it really embraced the simplicity of the lives of these people. They were so fasicinated by a ping pong ball - something that many of us in America wouldn't even stop to look at. This film also shows the importance of friendship and family. I personally would not care to view this film again, only because it was a little too slow for my taste. I can tolerate movies that are quieter than usual, but this one in particular seemed a bit repetitive. After awhile I lost interest in the ping pong and would've like to see more of their culture and where they live.