Monday, July 11, 2011

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)
Children of Invention (2009)

Genre: Drama
Director: Tze Chun
Starring: Cindy Cheung, Michael Chen, Crystal Chiu
Duration: 86 min.
Rating: 6.1

Summary:
Two young children living illegally in a model apartment outside Boston are left to fend for themselves when their hardworking mother disappears.



Children of Invention is the debut film from writer and director Tze Chun that premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.  It is a semi-autobiographical  tale set in Boston and follows a struggling single mother and her two young children who are left to fend for themselves after she is arrested for being involved in a multi level marketing scheme.

This was a decently made film, with a couple of impressive natural performances from the children played by Michael Chen and Crystal Chiu.  The pair have great chemistry and very convincingly portray their resourceful older brother and cute and inquisitive younger sister roles.  The supporting cast was also good but none of the other actors felt as natural or as believable as the two kids.  

The screenplay I found to be a bit lacking, giving me the impression of a short film padded out to feature length.  It has a good setup but a story that didn't really go anywhere and I found myself losing interest towards the end.

Overall it's a competent production for an independent film, and though there is some promise shown for a debut film, there was nothing remarkable about the direction, editing, or cinematography to make it stand out.  Really the only thing this film has going for it, is that it tells a story about an Asian American family, interesting because it's something rarely seen in American cinema.  I hope we get to see more of them in the future, these stories are horribly underrepresented in Hollywood.

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

Children of Invention (2009)

9 comments:

Cherokee said...

Very true that there are hardly, if any, films about Asian-American families, and just for that, I may have to hunt this one down.

The plot to it sounds a lot like Treeless Mountain and Nobody Know's, though.

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

This just sounds like Nobody Knows [2004]

Bonjour Tristesse said...

That one looks interesting. Thanks man!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah, it starts off with the promise of a good movie then falters.  I mean I wasn't expecting any epic conflict or anything just something deeper.

d_4 said...

Initially I thought it seemed like a good movie. However, I've seen those movies that look like they should be 50 minutes shorter, and can understand how it's unappealing. If I see it around I might give it a shot, though.

The Angry Lurker said...

Children, you gotta love them, well most of them.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Treeless Mountain looks interesting, thanks for that.

Jason said...

I'd just like to echo recommendations for the Japanese film, Nobody Knows. Very similar and heart-rending. It's directed Kore-eda who made the brilliant After Life.

Shutterbug said...

The kids are cute! I would watch this! :)

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