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By Charlie Roberson
Dir: Hong Khaou
When we talk about indie films here on FilmDoo there’s occasionally some confusion over what we mean. It’s a term that’s been bastardised, misused and commercialised out of all recognition but Lilting, with its small budget and big themes, feels like the archetypal indie film.
It marks the feature-length debut of Hong Khaou, a Cambodian-born British director whose short films have previously met with success at various festivals,and it touches on many of the same themes as his earlier work.
The centrepiece of Lilting is the relationship between Richard (Ben Whishaw), a young, gay urbanite living in London and Junn (Pei-Pei Cheng), an elderly Chinese woman in a residential home. These disparate characters are connected by their grieving for Kai (Andrew Leung), Junn’s son and Richard’s lover.
It’s an affecting set-up made even more compelling by Junn’s ignorance (or denial?) about her son’s sexual orientation and the fact that she and Richard don’t even like each other. With the help of a translator (an underused Naomi Christie) the two of them confront their animosity and their respective baggage regarding Kai’s untimely death.
Khaou’s use of this (seemingly very personal) subject gives us an absorbing look at the issues at hand, but there is a universal appeal to this story of cross-generational strife and dealing with expectations. Scenes when tensions flare between Richard and Junn are especially gripping. Lilting is littered with human moments that make it stick in your head after the credits have rolled.
It helps that Khaou has assembled a strong cast to bring his script to life. Whishaw is reliably good and he works well opposite Cheng’s sombre matriarch. Special mention goes to Peter Bowles who plays Junn’s romantic interest in the retirement home and threatens to steal every scene he’s in with his bumbling charisma.
Lilting won the Cinematography Award: World Cinema Dramatic award when it premiered at Sundance and it’s easy to see why. It may have been made on a tiny budget but it’s a handsome film. Most importantly though Lilting is a moving look at important issues built around a vibrant, emotional core. What else could you ask for from an indie film?
Lilting is currently playing in cinemas across the UK. Check it out if you get the chance.
