AFI FEST Report: Sunflower (Xiang Ri Kui) Review

Peter keeps banging off reviews from AFI FEST. Dare I ask him where he is pulling them from. His latest is SUNFLOWER from China.

Zhang Yang takes the simple premise of a man and woman raising their son during four distinct eras in recent Chinese history and produces a complex family drama bordering on brilliance.

The director debuted with SPICY LOVE SOUP in 1997 and followed that with the gently perceptive SHOWER in 1999 and the intensely personal QUITTING in 2001; both of the latter films were distributed by Sony Pictures Classics in the US, and it's rather surprising that SUNFLOWER has not been picked up yet. It's a classic drama, beautifully told, that should have wide appeal among both Asian aficionados and arthouse audiences.

Gengnian (Sun Haiying) is sent to a labor camp in 1967, soon after his wife (Joan Chen) gives birth to their son Xiangyang. He returns nine years later and immediately asserts authority over his family. A talented painter, his hands were intentionally damaged in camp; seeing that Xiangyang (Zhang Fan) is far too playful for his liking, Gengnian imposes a strict regimen of training to develop his son's latent artistic abilities. Xiangyang rebels against a man he considers to be a stranger, and the war between father and son begins in earnest, climaxing in Xiangyang's explosive attempt to shape his own destiny.

The story continues with the passage of Xiangyang (played in this segment by Gao Ge) into young adulthood and details his growing attraction to a pretty, very modern ice skater, and then moves forward to 1999 as the adult Xiangyang (Wang Hai Di) confronts his aging parents and contemplates fatherhood himself.

In an interview with City Weekend, Zhang claimed that the film was "very much related" to his personal experience growing up; he'd been yearning to make the film for 10 years. As with Xianyang, Zhang was born in 1967 to an artistic father (his was a movie director) and ended up following in his footsteps.

SUNFLOWER's power comes first from the relationship between father and son. The figure of the autocratic father is a familiar one, yet Sun Haiying imbues him with such rigid, overwhelming confidence that we never doubt he will always prevail and, in fact, that he should prevail (the old notion "Father knows best" dies hard). In any battle of the wills, his is the strongest and most righteous; he is fighting for the future happiness and fulfillment of his son, no matter what his son thinks or wants, and no compromise will be considered.

Though the role of Xiangyang is played by three different actors (four if you count an infant performer), what leaps out is the way his spirit ebbs and flows until it is permanently dampened by his father's perfectionist career demands. There's a clear sense, or a reluctant acknowledgement, that one may fight against destiny, but to no ultimate avail.

Rich period details are established for each of the three main episodes. An earthquake, cultural changes, and creeping modernization flesh out the family dynamics and keeps them in perspective. Zhang frames each shot simply and makes ample use of close-ups with a minimum of camera movement. Jong Lin's photography is beautiful, with an assist by Christopher Doyle as visual consultant, and each scene looks perfectly lit. The beauty of the framing and the cinematography stands in good contrast to the clashing characters. Joan Chen provides able support in the least-flashy of the three leading roles.

Each segment of the film builds to an emotional high point, leading to a final, rueful grace note that concludes the piece without feeling forced or contrived. SUNFLOWER is compelling work, yet more than a week later I am still puzzled as to why such a traditional tale hit me so hard. Sometimes such mysteries are best left unsolved.

One can only hope the film will gain distribution and/or be programmed at additional festivals. A little more information is available at the web site of sales agent Fortissimo Films here.