Monday, July 22, 2013
Resolution
Patrick Wang's film about love and loss finds another solution.
The old battle lines are briefly revisited but when lover dies intestate leaving the man with whom he shares his life the responsibility for his son, the man who is left with little on his legal plate to handle the outcome has to turn to other means.
An old retired lawyer for whom he is doing extensive renovation work volunteers to come to the situation and help resolve it.
There are many sad moments in this lovely film but there are moments of pure joy which make whatever pain there is worthwhile.
The meetings of the two men to become lovers, the relationship between the kid who loves dragons and the Dad who makes up stories about them, who builds little tributes with his hands to give as souvenirs, the kindness of the old retired lawyer that lays like a balm on the pain of all the family.
The style of this film is deliberate and slow. Slow entrances and exits. Fixed cameras. Wang wants us to see and hear and feel it all. And, I think he succeeds with a splendid set of characters who are blessed with the skills of the actors who step into them.
It is a play. A story. A carefully crafted set of dramatic touches all of which turn real before our eyes.
There are sad tears, tears of worry and happy tears. There are a lot of laughs. From the get go.
And there are surprises. Expected pain and conflict are somehow set aside in favor of family.
That is the name of the film, after all.
This is a 5 out of Netflix5.
It is too bad that it did not receive the promotion that would have gotten it wider distribution.
Labels: films
