Reading a title like "Mongolian Ping Pong", one might expect a film about a team of expert table tennis players working their way into the Olympics, much like another film about a Jamaican bobsledding team. But this couldn't be further from the truth. It is much closer in tone (though not style) with "The God's Must be Crazy" and focuses instead on the encroachment of societal progress into the lives of those far removed from such. With "Mongolian Ping Pong", director Hao Ning has instead created a quiet little film where the simple, every day life of a seven year old boy living a nomadic existence is forever changed by the discovery of a little white ball. You see, the world in which Bilike (Hurichabilike) lives without the benefit of most modern conveniences, and to him this mysterious ball is a treasure beyond imagining. When he hears a description of Ping Pong being the national pastime, he mistakes the news to mean that the ball he holds is actually a national treasure. And so he sets off, with a few friends in tow, to return it to its honored place.

While "The Gods Must Be Crazy" was meant to be somewhat of a comedy, "Mongolian Ping Pong" is instead meant to charm. There are a few humorous moments throughout, but most deal directly with the boy's people facing the intricacies of modern technology. None of the film's actors are actors however, and at times the charm the director is going for does not translate well in the faces of his subjects. This is not wholly detrimental to the film, but it does make a few sequences lose the emotional impact that I believe the director was trying to create.

This nitpick is not true of the entire film, but certainly in a few key moments. Where the movie makes up for these is in the beautiful cinematography involving Mongolia's nearly unpopulated vistas. The land surrounding the journey is amazing and the shots have an almost travelogue quality to them making me want to take a trip to some of these remote areas. Sadly, some of these shots are a bit marred by the overall transfer of the film. Not horribly so, but you can tell that some of the shots could have looked better.

The DVD extras for "Mongolian Ping Pong" are few, but include a text only introduction by the director and a biography. There's also a very small photo gallery and some trailers of other First Run Feature releases.

"Mongolian Ping Pong" is a pleasant little film that never quite reaches a level of greatness, but is still quietly entertaining in its own right.

Directed by: Hao Ning
Starring: Hurichabilike, Dawa, Geliban, Badema, Yidexinnaribu
Extras: Director's notes, Director Biography, Photo gallery
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround Sound, English Subtitles
Studio: First Run Features
Release Date: 10/24/2006
Region: 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Mongolian Ping Pong a B-.