Lilting (film)
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''Lilting'' () is a 2014 British
romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...
film written and directed by Cambodian-born British director
Hong Khaou Hong Khaou (born 22 October 1975) is a Cambodian-British film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his debut feature film '' Lilting'' and the short films ''Summer'' and ''Spring''. Early life Khaou was born in Cambodia to Chinese- ...
and produced by Dominic Buchanan. The film had its world premiere on 16 January 2014 on Day One of the Sundance Film Festival, at which it competed in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition. It won the "Cinematography Award: World Cinema Dramatic" at the festival. The film was released theatrically in United Kingdom on 8 August 2014 and in the United States on 26 September 2014.


Synopsis

Lilting tells the story of a mother's attempt at understanding who her son was after his untimely death. Her world is suddenly disrupted by the presence of his lover. Together, they attempt to overcome their grief whilst struggling against not having a shared language.


Cast

*
Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in ''My Brother Tom'' (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the titl ...
as Richard * Cheng Pei-pei as Junn * Naomi Christie as Vann *
Peter Bowles Peter Bowles (16 October 1936 – 17 March 2022) was an English television and stage actor. He gained prominence for television dramas such as '' Callan: A Magnum for Schneider'' and ''I, Claudius''. He is however, best remembered for his roles ...
as Alan *
Morven Christie Morven Christie (born 1 September 1981) is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Hughes in the BBC drama ''The A Word,'' Amanda Hopkins in the ITV drama ''Grantchester'', and DS Lisa Armstrong in ITV crime series '' The ...
as Margaret * Andrew Leung as Kai


Production

The script, originally titled ''Lilting the Past'', won third spot in the 2011 Brit List, a list of the best unproduced British screenplays. The film was one of three films greenlit by Microwave in early 2012. A casting call was later released for the three lead roles, later filled by Cheng Pei-pei,
Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor and producer. After winning a British Independent Film Award for his performance in ''My Brother Tom'' (2001), he was nominated for an Olivier Award for his portrayal of the titl ...
, and Andrew Leung. Filming began in November 2012 and completed principal photography in December 2012. Director Khaou has said the film will be visually inspired by
Wong Kar-wai Wong Kar-wai (born 17 July 1958) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer. His films are characterised by nonlinear narratives, atmospheric music, and vivid cinematography involving bold, saturated colours. A pivotal figure ...
's '' In the Mood for Love''. During production, as part of the Microwave scheme, Michael Winterbottom mentored writer/director Khaou, while producer Buchanan was mentored by Ken Marshall, producer of ''
London to Brighton ''London to Brighton'' is a 2006 British neo-noir crime film written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams. Plot The film opens with a woman and child, Kelly and Joanne, bursting into a London toilet. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye. ...
'', ''
Filth Filth or The Filth may refer to: Common uses * Dirt, unclean matter * Police officer, a pejorative in British slang Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Filth'' (film), a 2013 film based on the novel * ''Filth'', an alternative title for ''S ...
'' and ''
Song for Marion ''Song for Marion'' is a 2012 British-German comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams and starring Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton, Christopher Eccleston and Vanessa Redgrave. The film was released as ''Unfinished Song'' in th ...
''. As with all Microwave films, the budget was £120,000. It is the first bilingual film to be made under the Microwave scheme.


Reception


Critical response

''Lilting'' was met with positive reviews from critics. , the film holds an 84% approval rating on review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 55 reviews with an average rating of 6.88/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Skillfully weaving multiple delicate tonal strands into a quietly affecting whole, ''Lilting'' serves as a thoroughly compelling calling card for writer-director Hong Khaou." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
the film has 61 rating from 22 reviews indicating "Generally favorable reviews." Justin Chang, in his review for ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', said that the film "Hong Khaou makes a fine debut with this quietly resonant cross-cultural chamber piece." David Rooney of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' praised the film, saying, "Delicate and unhurried almost to a fault, though also hauntingly sexy and even humorous at times." Amber Wilkinson from ''
Telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
'' gave the film three out of five stars and praised the lead actor that "Whishaw is magnetic as a man pushed to the edge of fragility by mourning, but who still suggests a quiet strength." Dominic Mill of ''We Got This Covered'' gave a positive review and said, "The subject matter is powerful, and the performances are wonderful – in a world of big and showy dramatism, Lilting gets its point across without feeling the need to shout about it."


Accolades


References


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lilting 2014 films 2014 LGBT-related films 2014 romantic drama films BBC Film films British LGBT-related films British romantic drama films Films set in London Films shot in London Gay-related films LGBT-related romantic drama films Sundance Film Festival award winners 2014 directorial debut films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films