Film Review: Lilting

Mass migration is one of the epic stories of our time, but Lilting finds a smaller tale hidden among the great shifting of cultures. It’s primarily about integration; two parents move from China to the UK with their young son so he can “have a better life”. Thirty years on, the boy, Kai, has grown into a man and his mother Junn has been widowed. Kai temporarily checks her into a home for the elderly, with the intention of moving her into his house. The family-oriented matriarch is deeply hurt, accusing him of “locking her up”. 

The real reason is that Kai is yet to break the news that he’s gay and living with his long-term partner Richard (Ben Whishaw). Before he gets the chance, Kai dies in a sudden accident and Richard is left looking after a heart-broken mother who hates this odd “friend” who got in the way of her and her son’s happiness. 

Junn can’t speak a word of English, so much of the dialogue is subtitled or fed through Vann, a Cantonese and Mandarin speaker employed by Richard to translate. This blend of Chinese and English immerses you in a disorienting and confusing world of facial expressions and mannerisms. Junn’s sudden sparks of understanding and Kai’s eyes, constantly watering with frustrated grief, engage with our deepest-rooted emotions. Watching these two struggle towards a solution, when their only lifeline is the love they shared for someone they lost, makes for a universally, but quietly, moving film.