A Chinese family struggles to acclimate to a new culture after immigrating to Germany from Shanghai. Eastern and Western culture clash as the husband, wife and daughter all struggle in their own ways in their strange new home. The family tears itself apart before triumphing over adversity and finding their place in the community.
Acting
Chin Han's restrained implosion as a father losing authority
Direction
Tang's handheld camera mirrors the family's unsteadiness
Writing
Dialogue that weaponizes politeness between spouses
Director
Reed Tang
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Reed Tang based the story on his own parents' immigration from Shanghai to upstate New York in the 1990s.
The film reverses typical immigrant narratives by making the father, not the child, the most resistant to adaptation.
US
