No wonder Variety named this film the Best Film of 2020 and it is in the shortlist for this year's Best International Feature Film Oscar (hopefully it gets into the top 5). This was simply a fantastic and utterly engrossing movie. Running at 155 minutes yet you barely feel the time passed. It was emotionally rich and tightly constructed with a superb ensemble cast that enlivened the whole cinematic journey. Everything had a purpose and nary a scene or moment was wasted. The emotional investment yielded an absolute high return. There was laughter and there were tears. You had fear and doubt, but also love and commitment.
Director Chung Mong-hong 鍾孟宏 has directed, co-written and lensed a family drama that felt authentic despite the circumstances. He gave every member of the family equal opportunity to shine and spent the required time to explore their emotions. None of them felt shortchanged and it did feel like we got to know them just a bit better by the end of the film.
The film was clearly divided into three main acts, bookended by a prologue and epilogue that beautifully mirrored - and juxtaposed - each other. The narrative may feel familiar but Chung has managed to imbue the story with enough freshness and unexpectedness to continually engage the audience. But yet similarly, that sense of familiarity helped the audience to empathise with the characters and develop the bond that powered the film.
Kudos to all the four main actors and also some of the supporting cast.
Starting with the patriarch as played by Chen Yi-wen 陳以文, who initially came off as the stereotypical Asian father but by the end of the Second Act and into the Third Act, his character evolution was the strongest. It is difficult not to feel empathy for him despite his behaviour in the beginning.
Similarly, we had Wu Chien-ho 巫建和 who played the younger son - the ne'er-do-well of the family. Like the father, his character also had the clearest character development over the whole film. With his skinny frame and shrugged shoulders, Wu played the delinquent convincingly, but what he did better was to portray the character's growth into a matured, steady and reliable family man. As the film progressed, so did his posture and his confidence as he came into his own. That is until the events in the Third Act rattled off sheen and he subtly reverted back to the mannerisms of his youth.
Samantha Ko 柯淑勤 played the mother and in a sort of role reversal, she became the stoic, determined, voice of reason in the family. She was defined by her relationships with the men in the family, but nonetheless, Chung still managed to give her a sense of agency. She was the long-suffering matriarch that was keeping the family together and it showed on her face.
Lastly, we had the elder son as played by Greg Hsu 許光漢. He was the closest we had to an enigma and for good (plot) reason. His character served as the catalyst for the others to change and evolve, and in that sense he was the most important character. Hsu played him with a sincerity and honesty that really struck home on hindsight (and in repeat viewing).
As for the supporting cast, Liu Kuan-ting 劉冠廷 stood out as the Third Act villain we loved to hate; so smooth and so slimey.
Cinematography was credited to Nagao Nakashima which is the pseudonym for Chung. The film was beautifully shot and framed with a naturalistic approach to lighting and space.
Simply put, this was a really good show. It is on Netflix and there is not much fanfare for it, but please go watch it!
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