Foreign Uncle

My quest to find short films that exemplify the structural and character-driven narrative that I espouse has been met: "Foreign Uncle" fits the bill perfectly. Everything about this 20-minute film is exceptional and offers an excellent example for the study of all films, not just short ones. It isn't message driven though it offers a valuable lesson if one is required. It isn't overly populated with tried-and-true cliches, even though it contains a few, the right number. It isn't hard-nosed American, nor is it tight-fisted Chinese. It is human. And as a study of two cultures exploring one another, it feels not just right but down-right perfect. It isn't struggling with the good, the bad, and the desperate to be found in the Foreign Uncle or in the family he is visiting. Instead, it is a carefully observed commentary on the expectations of one group (the matrons) and the acceptances in another (the nephew). Watching Sining's splendid short film is probably the best twenty minutes that I've had in a long, long time.