The Park (2007 film)

The Park is the 2007 directorial debut of Chinese writer-director Yin Lichuan. Produced by Filmblog Media (which also handled international distribution) and Beijing Wide Angle Lens, the comedy-drama film is part of producer Lola Zhang's Yunnan New Film Project, ten proposed films[1] by female Chinese directors. The Park is the second of the ten to be released, after Wang Fen's The Case (2007).[2] Each of the films was required to take place in the southern province of Yunnan.[3]

The Park
Traditional Chinese公園
Simplified Chinese公园
Hanyu PinyinGōng yúan
Directed byYin Lichuan
Written byYin Lichuan
Produced byLola Zhang
StarringLi Jia
Wang Deshun
Wang Xuebing
Xu Tao
CinematographyLu Sheng
Edited byZhou Xinxia
Music byZhou Yunshan
Distributed byFilmblog Media
Release date
  • June 21, 2007 (2007-06-21) (Shanghai)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

The Park tells the story of a father's reconnection with his daughter after he moves in with her in the provincial capital of Kunming. Upset over her relationship with a younger man with no job prospects, he begins to tout her name in a local park to other elderly parents looking to marry off their children.

Cast
  • Wang Deshun as Gao Yuanshan, a widowed man who reconnects with his adult daughter after moving into her apartment in Kunming.
  • Li Jia as Xiaojun, Yuanshan's daughter, a journalist.
  • Xu Tao as Doudou, Xiaojun's boyfriend, a musician.
  • Wang Xuebing as Xu Chao, a potential suitor for Xiaojun after the two are set up by Yuanshan.

Reception

Screening at several major film festivals, the film has received positive reviews. After its screening in Shanghai, Variety critic Derek Elley called attention to the film's strong performances, particularly the father and daughter leads, describing their chemistry as "unshowy but excellent."[2] It did equally well at other festivals, most notably Mannheim-Heidelberg where it picked up a FIPRESCI prize. FIPRESCI critic Ayman Youssef's praise is more technical in nature, citing the use of visual framing and the use of long and medium-shots, though he also lauds the performances as "fine and exact acting."[4]

Additionally, the film was screened at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival[5] and at the Bangkok International Film Festival.[6]

Awards and nominations

References
  1. As of 2007, two films have been completed, one is in post-production.
  2. Elley, Derek (2007-07-06). "The Park". Variety. Retrieved 2008-02-10.
  3. "Yunnan New Film Project". China Daily. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  4. Youssef, Ayman (2007-11-07). "FIPRESCI - Festival Reports - Mannheim 2007 - "The Park"". FIPRESCI. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  5. "29th Moscow International Film Festival (2007)". MIFF. Archived from the original on 2013-04-21. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  6. "The Park". BKKIFF. Archived from the original on 2007-11-23. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  7. "FIPRESCI - Awards 2007". Archived from the original on 2010-11-22. Retrieved 2008-02-11.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.