Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress (2002) Rating: Starring: Wang Shuangbao, Zhou Xun, Liu Ye, Cong Zhijun, Dai Sijie Director: Dai Sijie Category: Avant Garde, Foreign Studio: Empire Pictures Subtitles: English Length: 111 mins     A Tailor Made Romance Based on the international bestseller, Balzac and The Little Chinese Seamstress is set in the early 1970's during the later stages of China's cultural revolution. Two city-bred teenage best friends, Luo (Kun Chen) and Ma (Ye Liu) are sent to a backwards mountainous region for a Maoist re-education. The two see and fall in love with the local beauty (Xun Zhou), the daughter of the most renowned tailor in the region. They never know her name - referring to her only as "the Little Seamstress" - but she captivates them with her innocence and sensuality. When they discover a hidden suitcase filled with banned books by western writer, they read these works to the little seamstress for hours on end in a secret meeting place. Thirsting for knowledge of the world beyond, she comes to love, in particular, Balzac and his friends. On her mystical journey, the Little Seamstress finds the courage to leave he village for broader horizons.