Directed by Lin Jianjie — Screenplay by Lin Jianjie.
Lin Jianjie’s Brief History of a Family (or ‘Blood and Water‘ as it is called in my region) is a Chinese mystery thriller flick that follows a young man, Yan Shuo (played by Sun Xilun), as he attempts to ingratiate himself with the wealthy parents of a classmate. This all happens after said classmate, Wei (played by Lin Muran), deliberately chucked a basketball at Shuo, while the latter was doing a pull-up exercise. When Shuo is injured, Wei takes pity on his classmate and invites him back to his parents’ apartment to play video games. When Shuo tells Wei’s family about his bleak daily life, they, too, take pity on him and begin to admire him for being everything Wei isn’t. As Shuo gradually becomes more and more a part of their family, Wei becomes jealous, while his parents’ past insecurities are revealed.
This is apparently Lin Jianjie’s debut feature as a director, and it is an impressively assured debut consisting of a deliberately patient pace (with editing from Per K. Kirkegaard), cold thriller aesthetics, impressively designed shot compositions, and an electronic score, from Toke Brorson Odin, that really adds something to the film. It looks, sounds, and feels great. Is it, however, the most original thing in the world? Absolutely not. The film resembles Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, Anthony Minghellla’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, and even Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite a fair bit, and, frankly, I don’t think it’s quite as good as any of those films.
That said, what sets it apart from those other films — some of which were clear inspirations — is the setting and cultural history of it all. This is a film that is, in a way, secretly about the effects of the Chinese one-child policy which is no longer in effect. It is a film about the wounds left behind on families because of that policy, but also the harsh demands that parents put upon their only child to succeed and replicate successes, while mediocrity and individuality are frowned upon. The (at least to the parents) polite and perfect main character’s gradual insertion into the family reveals these insecurities and tests their relationships. This is all really effective and never feels over-explained. The same can be said for the cultural remarks made about the US.
Fans of Saltburn, which, I’ve noticed, this film has been compared to quite a bit, will miss the fun, chaotic vibes and the gothic eroticism of Fennell’s film, but here they’ll be treated to a colder, more patient feel. I will say that it slightly crumbles in the final act, where the ending isn’t all that satisfying, and where it lacks that thriller oomph that you’d expect given the premise and the cold aesthetics. Perhaps ‘crumbles’ is a little bit too harsh, but, then, let’s say, it doesn’t quite nail the landing. This is also partially due to the fact that it doesn’t actually let us in on Yan Shuo’s motivations, other than what can be surmised, and I feel like the film could’ve benefitted from showing us more of his familial background, which we only hear about (and have to guess as to when and if he is ever telling the truth). Nonetheless, it is an effective debut that I can definitely recommend.
7.5 out of 10
– Review Written by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen.
I'm Jeffrey Rex 