The Silk and the Flame

Unmarried Yao travels from Beijing to his village to celebrate the Chinese New Year – the most important family event in the country. The money he earns in the big city provides not only for his old parents but also his siblings and their children, who take it for granted that they should live off his regular payments as well. His mother, who has been deaf since childhood, looks after his care-dependent father. The latter desperately wants to see his second son married to the right woman, but Yao himself would prefer to find the right
man. He has done well in the capital and his outstanding achievements have earned his father's respect but, ever the dutiful son, he finds himself putting aside his own needs in order to support the family’s continued demands. A touching insight into everyday life in China, where the economic boom of the cities is in stark contrast to the poverty experienced by those living in the countryside. Jordan Schiele depicts the sparseness of village life in timeless black-and-white, juxtaposing loud, chaotic family scenes with Yao’s reflective monologues.

details

  • Runtime

    87.0 min
  • Country

    United States
  • Year of Presentation

    2018
  • Year of Production

    2018
  • Director

    Jordan Schiele
  • Cast

  • Production Company

  • Berlinale Section

    Panorama
  • Berlinale Category

    Documentary Film

Biography Jordan Schiele

Born in Brooklyn, New York, he now lives in Beijing. He first began working on film sets in Shanghai. He studied law and Mandarin at Oxford University and at Bowdoin College, Maine, USA and then film directing and cinematography at New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore. His short films and commercials have screened at the Cannes, Tribeca and Locarno film festivals and he made his directing debut at the latter with the short film 5CM. The screenplay for his debut feature film SAN FU TIAN was selected for the Cinéfondation-Résidence in Cannes.

Filmography Jordan Schiele

2010 Canvas | 2010 Double Happiness | 2011 Shi Nian Hou | 2012 Prank | 2014 Wu Gui