2021-01-29

New Film Express | Golden Goblet Award Official Selection “The Reunions\" Releases Today

Shortlisted for Golden Goblet Award Official Selection at the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival, “The Reunions” directed by Da Peng is officially released in domestic theaters today. The film tells a real story of family affection through an experimental narrative structure and a naturalized audio-visual language.

“The Reunions” tells a story of a comedy director who has a flash of inspiration to return to his hometown in the northeast countryside of China and make a literary film about how his family spent their time during Chinese New Year, but encountering a series of unexpected accidents. On the grounds of the film, all the family members come together and have a final reunion…

Inspired by his personal experience, “The Reunions” is Director Da Peng’s third feature film, which is divided into two parts. The former narrates the Chinese New Year reunion of the family, while the latter further interprets the former one.

Speaking of Da Peng, many people associate him with comedies. For example, his comedy film City of Rock was nominated for the Asian New Talent Award at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival. Unlike his previous works, “The Reunions” is not a typical comedy film suitable for people of all ages. It also contains reflection on reality and emotional expressions, exploring the concept of kinship within a large Chinese family.

In this film, it is worth mentioning that Liu Lu starring the role of daughter is the only professional actor, while the rest of the characters are played by Da Peng’s family. During the shooting process, as he said, he was both the director and the actor’s family. These two identities gave him a deep emotional connection. He wants to capture a plot developed spontaneously and without any embellishment, presenting audience the most authentic story. It is the reason why the film took four years to complete.

As for the expressive form, the film also adopts an innovative way that all actors perform without dramatic plot and director’s intervention. The real events develop simultaneously with the objective video recording. Meanwhile, another camera is set to record the whole shooting process. The reality and fiction are achieved in a perfect combination, becoming the narrative highlight of the film.