11 Flowers

Incredible
11 Flowers is a beautiful deliberate fantastic film.

Set in China at the end of the Cultural Revolution, the story is told from the eyes of 11 year old Wang Han. The film opens with Wang Han getting ready for school. His family lives in a small village and the apartment is crowded. The opening shots are claustrophobic, with a lot going on in the frame. The world becomes much larger once he rides to school with his father, the framing opens up wide to show a massive poster of Chairman Mao, a scene repeated frequently in the film. Within the first few minutes the stage is clearly set, the main characters of the film are introduced, mother, father, sister, and Wang's three friends.

I was reminded of a few of my favorite films. The relationship between Wang Han and his father is much like the father and son in My Father's Glory. Both fathers say very little in the film, but they have a powerful positive impact on their son. In both films there is a wonderful happy...





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