A little girl, her hair in matted braids, watches her mother sort plastic water bottles in the junkyard. Two children walk by, and stare at the little girl. The sister asks, “Why is that girl not in uniform? Her brother responds, “She’s probably not in school, and has no homework.” The sister says, “It would be nice to not have homework…”
Director Charles Xiuzhi Dong’s AFTER CLASS short film follows the story of little girl Min Min and her aging mother who live together in a dark, cramped bedroom. Min Min’s mother is a janitress at the local elementary school. All day, she toils without complaint. She mops the school hallways vigorously, while Min Min is left alone to her own company.
Socially alienated from her friends, Min Min peers through the wired fence to see the other children outfitted in neatly- pressed blue and white uniforms. She watches them play on the school field during recess, Meanwhile, we watch Min Min’s mother ask the school principal about the requirements of sending her daughter to the school. The principal reveals that since Min Min is not registered as a resident of the region, her mother must pay an extra fee of thirty thousand.
