Review of Lilting (2014) by Richard L — 16 Mar 2015

Lilting immediately asserts itself as one of the very best gay-themed movies ever as it takes on not only coming out to parents but also grief, language barriers, and aging. I loved the choices made in this movie, including the first establishing character shot of Cheng Pei-Pei as Junn, an elderly woman in an adult care facility, followed by the scene of her conversation with her visiting son. The movie swoops gracefully through flashbacks as if they are occurring in the present, with astonishing and effective scene transitions that help ramp up the emotion.

This is a movie where I was basically crying from the beginning. The end seemed a little less crafted and more ambiguous than the rest of the movie, but it also features another incredible choice in which the two central characters converse with each other in their native languages without the translator jumping in, suggesting that they understand each other untranslated.

What I like best about this movie is how the director and camera absolutely adore every single actor, and especially Cheng and Ben Whishaw as the emotionally wrought Richard. Their acting is tremendous and the camera recognizes this with beautifully framed closeups that reveal every expressive detail.

Bringing his mom and his boyfriend together is Kai, played by Andrew Leung, a character that has much to do despite his circumstances. Peter Bowles as Alan brings a sense of humor to the movie and Naomi Christie as Vann, the sly translator, builds a fascinating bridge between languages and people.