Song Fang's first feature will either thrill you or put you asleep.
I struggled not to join the guy two seats over who was snoring.
The simple plot of the film has Fang going home to spend some time with her parents. She spends time talking to them, her brother, his wife, her niece and some family friends. They talk about death, illness and growing old...and they talk about growing old, death and illness...or they talk about illness, growing old and death.
Told in a series of more or less static long takes (I counted only three scenes have cuts) this is like sitting in some one's room and watching them have the same conversation over and over again for 90 minutes... no wait that isn't true some times they sit in silence, or clean ears, or pick eyebrows, or clean veggies...
Some people were enthralled. Others fled. A few people slept. I fought to stay awake.
The trouble for me is the film is pretty much inert. The camera simply frames the characters and shoots while they sit and talk. The framing rarely varies (see the picture above). There is little movement. What's worse is the dialog really is the same thing over and over again.(Except the chicken scene, which is cool)
I didn't see the point.
If you you like this sort of thing or are in need of sleep pick up a ticket for it's one screening 10/7. Everyone else stay away.
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