Full Circle (Fei Yu Lao Ren Yuan)
Contemporary World Cinema - Doha Tribecca Film Festival 2012
Yang Zhang / Feature Narrative / China / 2012 / 104 min / Colour / HDCAM / In Mandarin / Arabic, English subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
Abandoned by their offspring, stripped of their independence and suffering from amnesia, dementia, illness, failing bodies and the general indignity of old age, the elderly residents of the Guanshan nursing home remain boisterous and maintain their good spirits against all odds. When they decide to put together a performance so they can appear on ‘Super Skit’, a TV talent contest, the irrepressible septuagenarians refuse to let anything stand in their way – not their selfish children, not their kindly but no-nonsense chief nurse, and certainly not a road trip by decommissioned city bus through Mongolia to Tianjin. Infectious energy and warm humour permeate this moving and highly entertaining story of camaraderie, determination and the healing of old wounds. Director Zhang Yang has looked at the relationship between parents and their grown children in previous films; here, the old folks fight back – and we’re on their side all the way.
About the Director
Born in Beijing in 1967, Zhang Yang studied in Guangdong and Beijing. His feature debut, ‘Spicy Love Soup’ (1997), was a festival hit, while his second film, ‘Shower’ (1999), won the Audience Award in Rotterdam. Zhang’s 2007 black comedy ‘Getting Home’ won the Ecumenical Jury Prize in Berlin in 2007. Other films are ‘Quitting’ (2001), ‘Sunflower’ (2005) and ‘Driverless’ (2010).
Credits
- Director
- Yang Zhang
- Screenwriter
- Yang Zhang, Xin Huo, Chong Zhang
- Producer
- Ann An, Li Li, Qiang Zhang
- Editor
- Hongyu Yang
- Music
- San Bao
- Cinematographer
- Tao Yang
- Sales Company
- Fortissimo Films
- Cast
- Huanshan Xu, Tianming Wu, Bin Li, Bingyan Yan