Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl is available on streaming right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 50 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch it for Li Xiaolu — one of the stronger performances out there right now. Put it on tonight and see for yourself.

Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl takes its time building the world its characters inhabit, and the patience pays off. Young teen girl Xiu Xiu is sent away to a remote corner of the Sichuan steppes for manual labor in 1975 (sending young people to there was a part of Cultural Revolution in China). A year later, she agrees to go to even more remote spot with a Tibetan saddle tramp Lao Jin to learn horse herding. Li Xiaolu and Lopsang lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1998. What elevates Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Drama fans who appreciate slow-burn storytelling will feel right at home with Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Li Xiaolu is the centre of it, and it is one of their strongest performances on record. The patience it asks of you early on is paid back with interest.