The nature of relationships between men and women is the primary focus of Cheng Yu’s peculiar but compelling Daughter and Son, which screened in this year’s Berlinale Shorts competition. Inspired partly by the manga artwork of Yoshiharu Tsuge and the writing of Peng Jianbin, Cheng crafted a story almost by accident. Originally conceived as a chamber piece about a couple being visited by one partner’s mother, instead, it became a two-hander in which the two younger actors took on multiple roles. It creates a fascinating labyrinth of meaning as they alternate playing the mother and thus have a variety of direct-but-indirect dialogues about their own relationship.
Initially, Sachiko (Wuchen Xingzi) and Ming (Li Minghao), who share a pokey apartment, just seem to be having mundane conversations. They talk about preparing dinner, whether the air conditioning is fixed, and where the cat is. Potential tension rears its head when Sachiko announces that her mother will be visiting, and, when asked by Ming, that she will be introducing him as her “roommate.” However, any such tension falls by the wayside when instead of the mother arriving in the form of a separate physical entity, she is interchangeably personified by Sachiko and Ming.
Through this method, ‘Sachiko’s mother’ has discussions with both Sachiko and Ming as they seamlessly morph in and out of their own identities. Not only does it make a pointed comment on the various roles we play within our relationships, but more so it allows for some uncomfortably frank exchanges which are, perhaps counter-productively, mediated by their unusual context. “You have to tolerate each other,” advises the mother (played by Sachiko) in one scene – it is unclear if she is counselling Ming or herself.
All of this happens in low light; their apartment is perpetually dark due to scarcely working lights, and when they briefly leave the apartment, it is typically twilight. The effect is one of creating a woozy, murky atmosphere that only emphasises the fluidity of their identities. They can effectively melt into the dimness as they transform into and out of personas. Despite the original Chinese title translating as ‘intimacy’, whether their mutability allows them to be more open and more empathetic with one another or encourages them to hide in the shadow of substitute identities remains tantalisingly unclear.
Director, screenplay, editing: Cheng Yu
Cast: Wuchen Xingzi, Li Minghao
Producers: Cheng Yu, Tan Yaqi, Huang Qian
Cinematography: Wang Chenxu
Music: Yu Qian
Sound design: Lin Jingxi
Sound: Lu Xiaoxiao
Production companies: Perfect Blues (China)
Venue: Berlin Film Festival (Berlinale Shorts)
In Mandarin
30 minutes
