The Eleventh Child

1998 1h 31m VI

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 2

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Restaurant owner Tang the 11th, learning his older brother, Tang the First is ill, returns to the his remote native village, long plagued by leprosy. Superstition holds that a cure can be obtained when a family of five sons and five daughters makes possible the death of a fish from the Lake of Heaven, since the leprosy remedy is in the flesh of this fish. It just so happens that Tang the 11th has five sons, four daughters, and a pregnant wife.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Akihiro Nishida
Le onzième
Tapa Sudana
Le premier
Nguyen Thi My Chau
La femme du premier

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dai Sijie
Writers: Nadine Perront, Nadine Perront, Nadine Perront
Languages: Vietnamese, French
Countries: Vietnam, France, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Vietnamese, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Vietnam, France, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dai Sijie, shot by Guy Dufaux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jean-Marie Sénia. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Editor Marie Castro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Akihiro Nishida and Tapa Sudana and Nguyen Thi My Chau carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dai Sijie directs. Guy Dufaux behind the camera. Jean-Marie Sénia scores. Marie Castro cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Vietnam, France, Canada. Dialogue in Vietnamese, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Vietnamese, French.
3International production across 3 countries: Vietnam, France, Canada.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Dai Sijie, shot by Guy Dufaux. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Jean-Marie Sénia. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Marie Castro shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Akihiro Nishida and Tapa Sudana and Nguyen Thi My Chau carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0169080 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.