
A Long Journey Home. 2022. China. Directed by Wenqian Zhang. North American premiere. In Mandarin, Taizhou dialect; English subtitles. 123 min.
In this powerful feature debut, Wenqian Zhang offers a strikingly candid group portrait sparked by the return to her family home in mainland China after completing her studies abroad. Taking her place in a multigenerational household, Zhang experiences the traditional arrangement in deep disarray. Static long takes reveal entrenched fissures that rock the nuclear family, like the estrangement incurred from her father’s decade-long work-seeking absence and diverging views of success and fulfilment between mother and daughter. Filmed as if they were trapped together in their home, the film makes the distance between family members palpable, putting a deeply personal lens on the sociopolitical shifts that have chipped away at the so-called “Chinese Dream” of an expanding middle class. Burning Lights Competition Jury Prize, Visions du Réel