Films A to Z

The Silk and the Flame

Runtime:
87.0 min.
Year of Production:
2018
Country:
USA
Director:
Production Company:
Berlinale Section:
Panorama
Berlinale Category:
Documentary Film

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.

BIOGRAFIE 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.

FILMOGRAFIE Jordan Schiele (selection)

2018 The Silk and the Flame  2016 San Fu Tian  2014 Wu Gui  2012 Prank  2011 Shi Nian Hou  2010 Double Happiness  2010 Canvas 

@IMDb Jordan Schiele
Interview with Jordan Schiele
TRAILER

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