User Reviews

This is a hidden gem! Yes, it looks rather low-budget and some of the actors seem inexperienced. Yet, this film has a heart of gold. This is a story about urban poverty, centering on a single mum and her two kids. It's the two kids - an older sister and a younger brother - who are the main characters of the story. Seeing that their mother is unable to scrape up enough money to celebrate Christmas that year, the two kids set off without their mother knowing. Are they running away? No! In fact, they want to help their mother. So, they embark on an epic journey across the city to look for the mythical "welfare king"... an old man who was famous for having previously been poor but then, winning a great deal of money in the lottery, he became known for generously giving his money away. The welfare king is reputed to live in a mansion in the wealthiest part of the city (aptly called "Tuxedo") which is the opposite end of the city from where the kids live. Unable to even afford the bus, the kids spend the whole day walking across the city. It's December and the city is bitterly cold and the snow is piled high. Even worse, the inner city is full of crime. When the kids finally find "Tuxedo", the welfare king happens to be sitting on a chair in front of his own house! At first, he refuses to give them any money (he's gotten jaded because too many people have taken advantage of his generosity)... but it turns out that a mugger has been following the kids from the inner city and she proceeds to mug the old man! Shaken from that experience, and touched by the kids' determination and good hearts, the old man later sets up a trust fund for them. Happy ending, then! Well, I suppose one could argue that getting a donation from a rich man is not the way to solve poverty in society. But, in the end, this film is a Christmas fairy tale, so the happy ending is appropriate. The filmmaker has done an excellent job in highlighting the too-often-hidden issue of urban poverty.