Tackling issues that are considered very sensitive and almost taboo, is one of the purposes of cinema. Zicheng Li accomplishes just that, in a rather shocking but also realistic work, that was his USC Graduate Thesis Film.
“A Sunburnt Summer” is screening at NewFilmmakers Los Angeles Film Festival
Mia, a single mother, returns home to her only son, Teddy, who had his birthday the previous night, only to find the remains of a party. Thinking her son is hungover, she tries to wake him up, but sees the signs of violence on his hand. Soon, they both realize that Teddy was molested by Sean, one of the two friends he had over the previous night, who also happens to be the son of the headmaster of the school the boys attend, and Mia’s employer and close friend. Mia and Teddy go to the police and try to contact Lily, the other friend who was present at the party, but eventually realize how weak and alone they are in this life.
Zicheng Li directs a film that deals with a number of very sensitive issues. Child molestation is a very hard topic on its own, but the fact that he chose to make both the victim and the perpetrator teenagers and of the same sex, can only perceived as brave. Probably the best trait of his direction is the way he manages to be clear about what happened, without resorting to violent scenes in order to shock, but mostly implying them and showing their consequences, particularly through the mother.
The brave effort does not stop there however, as the most intense scene in the film, the one where the two mothers confront each other, highlights another difficult issue, that of motherhood. And while Mia highlights the fact that mothers will do anything for their children in a good way, the complete opposite applies to the headmaster, whose effort to protect her son also involves denial about his true nature and a willingness to completely “decimate” anyone or anything willing to harm them.
On a secondary level, the film also deals with single-parenthood, immigration, and the difference between the rich and the poor, themes that add more depth to an already rich narrative.
Grace Chang is the indisputable protagonist of the film as Mia, and gives a wonderful performance, with the depiction of the transformations her character undertakes (happy, worried, angry, despaired) being the highlight of her effort. Particularly the scene with the fan is incredible, with her presenting all the implications of what the fan symbolizes in the most eloquent fashion. Huazhang Dai’s cinematography is quite polished, but indicative of the setting the story takes place in, while a number of his frames are impressive, particularly the one with the fight and the ending one. Mozhu Yan’s editing induces the short with a relatively fast pace, while the flashbacks are well placed.
“A Sunburnt Summer” is a great effort by Zicheng Li, who manages to portray his comments with eloquence, but also the sensitivity such issues demand.
