Long runtimes have become a bit of a trend on the festival circuit in recent years, with titles like Happy Hour, A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery, and Oj: Made in America breezing past the five-hour mark. Shumin Liu’s The Family, which bowed at Venice and is now at Slamdance, is yet another lengthy film making the rounds at a comparatively shorter 282 minutes. Several years in the making, Liu shot his debut feature on 35mm and handled cinematography and editing duties, on top of writing and directing. It’s the kind of unwieldy ambition one might expect from a first-time filmmaker, but Liu’s film is as audacious as it is frustrating, with an overindulgent runtime and off-putting choices.
The film follows septuagenarian couple Deng (Shoufang Deng) and Liu (Lijie Liu), who live in a modest apartment with their daughter Liqin (Huang Liqin) and her teenage son. Liqin, an English teacher,...
The film follows septuagenarian couple Deng (Shoufang Deng) and Liu (Lijie Liu), who live in a modest apartment with their daughter Liqin (Huang Liqin) and her teenage son. Liqin, an English teacher,...
- 1/27/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
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