The latest work of Wang Bing who won the Golden Leopard prize (Grand Prix) at the Locarno Film Festival this year. Staring a bedridden old woman with Alzheimer, who almost no longer communicates with people around her.
This is a "face" movie, it is also a "time" movie. Initially, we mistakenly thought her expression was hardly change, and eventually got diverse feelings. Her mouth opens slightly, or the eyes slightly moisten. Such fine repeats will derive a close feeling of intimacy between the subject and the person looking at the movie unreasonably.
Sense of being near you. Feeling like being invited to her bedside. That is the moment when the stereotype of the audience who stands up against the medium of documentary is loosely and pleasantly destroyed. In the movie, the women and families who take care of her, the people who visit in the hospital are also put in the frame one after another. The time of their lives also seems to be unchanged, but like the sky gradation, you can feel that it is clearly transformed, and moving.
Wang Bing sways a lot between a long work and a compact movie, including the 152-minute "bitter money" completed in the previous year, but has established a solid position in world history of modern movies. It can be said that the 87 minutes are loosely understood that the director himself is in the process of great change right now.
Written by：Toji Aida
"Mrs. Fan"
Director: Wang Bing
The 18th Tokyo FILMeX 2017 Special Invitation Work
