Mini-Review: "Please Vote For Me"

By Erica Zucco

Published March 1, 2008

Seating room for "Please Vote for Me" was tight, with only 11 show-goers that didn't have reserved tickets. To most audience members, the film was funny and dramatic, but it held a much greater significance: the subjects of the film and the country they're from can have no access to the content for fear of punitive responses from the government.

The content? Three third graders, running for the position of "hall monitor" in a general election--- the first time a democratic election has taken place in a Chinese elementary school!

The three children approach their campaigns differently, but in ways that mimic actual elections: one gives gifts and favors (his rich father arranges a ride on the monorail to snag votes), another uses gossip, rumor mills and manipulation to gain support and the third, the only girl in the trio, just tries her best to make friends and stay confident throughout the duration of the election.

Take a guess at who wins--- but remember that this is a documentary and doesn't require a fairytale ending.

The documentary, in many ways, is a breakthrough: it's an installment in a series of ten democracy-focused films that feature different countries and the role that democracy plays (or doesn't play) in the way they govern and the cultural facets characteristic of those nations.

At the same time, its funny and charming--- the children are, despite the manipulation and teasing they often create, likeable and real…but obviously deeply influenced by their parents, who put on the pressure to win and do everything they can to help them out. Money and class obviously plays a role in the way the students view election tactics, and they also bring cultural notions into the classroom.

When told that if elected, he would "beat" students as he had his last two terms as hall monitor, one "candidate" said, "Your parents beat you, do they not? I would do the same, so you would obey and become better people." The children accepted that answer— disturbing, to say the least!

"Please Vote for Me" will make you laugh, cry, and think; it's a depiction of the way that democracy really works, and all of the imperfections that come with it.