Confetti: Review

21st October 2022

Meimei (Harmonie He) is a smart little girl who lives in China with her family and is the same as every other child her age. However, when Thomas (George Christopher) comes in to help the class learn English, he notices something special in Meimei and he thinks he can help. So, along with her mother, Chen Lan (Zhu Zhu), Meimei goes to America to help with her education and to see what she is capable of doing.

Confetti is a heart-warming drama written and directed by Ann Hu, inspired by her own experiences of growing up. Told in a palatable way which will help people understand who have had no experience of dyslexia, Confetti guides the audience through a story about a bright and friendly little girl who’s starting out in the world.

However, it’s also about the expectations of a mother and her fears for her daughter when she’s introduced to something so alien and yet so familiar to her own experiences.

This means that the story shifts focus from daughter to mother and where it could have been an inspirational story about a cute little girl who overcomes her learning disability, it becomes a story more personal to Chen Lan. A story which reflects on what her life was like not knowing her potential.

Zhu Zhu gives a great performance in this role and her development over the course of the film may be something that audience members don’t see coming. However, it shakes up a film which could have been so formulaic. There are also certain tropes such as the white, able saviour which the story appears to start out as, but its natural progression shows a maternal bond which isn’t often portrayed.

Saying that though and despite the good intentions of the story, it becomes clear that Confetti is a film that wants to teach its audience about dyslexia. Also, that it wants to teach parents not to be concerned if their child is diagnosed. This means that although the story is well told performed well and well thought out, its overall message makes the film feel like a teaching tool rather than a heartfelt story

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