"Red Paper Cut" Movie Review

Hello everyone! We’re back with another movie review. This time, we decided to do a blog about it instead of just posting short key takeaways on our Instagram @unmaskyourwounds . Here are our thoughts about Red Paper Cut:-

Source: IMDb (2017)

Summary

Red Paper Cut is a story about Nuan Nuan, a paralyzed 9-year-old girl who is forced to drop out of school due to her condition. She is always left out during celebrations and activities. Villagers would often find her seated outside her house next to the river, cutting beautiful red paper cuts. Due to her talent, she is often taken for granted by the villagers. They would ask her to cut red paper cuts for free, and Nuan Nuan would willingly do it.

One day, Nuan Nuan decided to sell her red paper cuts at a fair, which garnered the attention of tourists. Drawn to see how much money she could make, the villagers soon copied her designs and tried to sell them as they thought that the tourists would come back again, but they did not. Nuan Nuan even taught the villagers how to cut beautiful red paper cuts, but she was often taken for granted.

Essentially, the villagers soon noticed that their actions were wrong. They approached Nuan Nuan to ask her what she wanted as they felt really bad. All she wanted was to go to school. From then on, the students in the village carried her to school every day so she could live life like a student too.

Key Takeaways

1. Always let the voice of the differently-abled be heard.

It was only until the very end when they finally asked Nuan Nuan what she really wanted, instead of what others thought she wanted. In the end, even when Nuan Nuan said all she wanted was to go to school, her mother just added that “she’s just joking”.

Thus, we should always hear them out instead of assuming. Do not just do what is best for us, but for them too.

2. Be inclusive

At the start of the movie, we could see that Nuan Nuan felt really left out. During the wedding scene, no one threw sweets near to her. The sweets which fell relatively close to her were taken by other kids. Besides that, the villagers were insensitive to spark the firecrackers close to her knowing that she will be afraid, but she is unable to move.

We should always find ways to include the differently-abled community in our daily lives. Most of the time, they may not want to be seen as “different” as they are often excluded. We should always remember their presence and be inclusive in our decisions and actions.

3. Do not take advantage of others

To Nuan Nuan, red paper cutting was her life. She does it with so much passion. However, the villagers decided to manipulate her talent due to their greed. Nuan Nuan spent hours teaching the villagers how to cut red paper cuts not because she wanted something in return, but because she genuinely wanted to help others.

We should always be supportive of others instead of using them to our benefit. Plus, knowing that the differently-abled go through so much, the least we could do is to help them and not to take them for granted.

4. Be mindful of the way you communicate

Knowing that Nuan Nuan is paralyzed from the waist down, her father was insensitive in the way he communicated. He told her that she can’t go to the fair to sell her red paper cuts because her legs are not decent.

Words may easily slip our mouths, but we should be aware of how deep our words could scar others. Before saying words like these to others, try saying them to yourself. Doesn’t it hurt?

Essentially, we believe that these key takeaways do not only apply to how we treat the differently-abled, but how we treat anyone in general.

We hope that you enjoyed reading our movie review as much as we enjoyed reviewing the movie and writing this review! If you’ve not watched Red Paper Cut yet, grab some snacks and watch the movie HERE!

We've also did a podcast about this movie review with The Band Aid: Help awhile back. Do check out the podcast on Spotify HERE!

Take care, stay safe, and have a great Chinese New Year to those celebrating. You may want to decorate your house with some Red Paper Cuts too!