Please Vote For Me

The 2007 documentary Please Vote for Me follows a class of third-graders in Wuhan, China as they elect their new class monitor. It's the first time that a democratic election has been held in Chinese schools, but you'd never know it from watching.

It seems like these students and their families hit most of the tell-tale signs of a democratic election. But let's do a quick count, to be sure:

• Slandering their opponents' characters? Check.
• Making empty promises in exchange for votes? Check.
• Using their personal wealth to campaign? Check.
• Fits of tears? Check.
• Massive parental over-involvement/investment? So many checks. 

Yep, sounds like politics to me.

This documentary has all of that and more, my friends, and it is so beautiful. So let's get down to it.

 Our candidates: Luo Lei, Cheng Cheng, and Xu Xiaofei

Whenever I'm asked about the true meaning of Christmas democracy, I can only assume my face looks similar to these students at the opening of Please Vote For Me:

This class election becomes a miniature model of what democratic elections mean, both in rhetoric and action. And some of the most intriguing moments in this film end up being when both the students and adults explore democracy, both directly and indirectly. 

Cheng Cheng's father has his definition:

And Luo Lei has his own:

Sure, later Luo Lei hits some kids to keep them in line, but for a minute there, he really had something. 

<educationalbit> Throughout the film, I was continually wondering where these concepts of democracy are coming from. How is it taught in schools? How is it portrayed in Chinese culture? How much about the way people run their campaigns and elections is inherent humanness, and how much is it learned from others? (Just watch how competitive the parents of these students get.) And why is there such a disconnect between those lovely definitions of democracy above and the much grittier democracy-in-action that we see?

Found this quote on Wikipedia: "Democracy has its faults, because people have their faults. Like teacher, like pupil."

 -Tomas Garrigue Masaryk (See what I did there?)

I don't have the answers, but the portrayal of the different strategies/pitfalls of elections and democracy is definitely one of this film's strengths. </educationalbit>

Beyond the more philosophical, though, Please Vote For Me works well simply because it follows some pretty endearing, hilarious, and compelling kids. I honestly enjoyed every minute with them. 

We have Cheng Cheng, who's both the charismatic one and the instigator:

A heartbreaking plan to ruin Xu Xiaofei's flute performance at the talent show (showcasing musical talent = another staple of elections).

Then of course, there's Xu Xiaofei. She was definitely working on her confidence, but she held her own: 

Allegedly a "slow eater." (Citation: Cheng Cheng). I don't know what that has to do with leadership, but you do you, Xu Xioafei.

And last is the only man with experience as a class monitor, Luo Lei:

Pictured above: Possibly an adult trapped in a child's body. 

Throughout the documentary, we see a change in these kids' confidence, their strategies, their rhetoric, and their interactions with one another. This election matters to them, and that dedication is what made the election matter to me, too.They go on a surprisingly stressful journey that includes tears, tantrums, and short-term victories. The winner is only clear when the final votes are tallied. So in the meantime, this election is nothing but a down-and-dirty battle.

And if you don't love every minute of it, you're wrong.

I won't ruin the suspense and tell you who wins this election, but I highly recommend that you sit down for 57 minutes to watch it on Netflix or wherever. There are subtitles. It's basically like reading a book. Which makes it twice as educational. (And twice as fun. Right? Right.)

Please Vote For Me was directed by Weijun Chen and is part of the Why Democracy? series, which showcases democracy from ten countries around the world. It was on the documentary feature Oscar shortlist in 2007 and has won the Sterling Award for Best Feature in 2007. For more, check out a trailer below.