“Why don’t we kill Troy?”
“Oh Declan, that’s sick […] How would we do it?”
Perhaps it is in the very definition of family reunions, this blend of fun moments, clumsiness, awkwardness and the inescapable brooding of conflicts. As words are spoken and the first meals and drinks are served, there may be a feeling of tentative unease in the air, especially if a family’s past has not been without conflict. But then again, there just may be no family without a conflict or two hanging in the air once its members have gathered.
Maybe it is this kind of atmosphere which attracted director H.P. Mendoza to the subject. For his feature debut “Bitter Melon” the Filipino-American filmmaker relied upon his experiences with his own family, especially his coming-out as a gay man in front of them. In his statement included in the press kit for the film,...
“Oh Declan, that’s sick […] How would we do it?”
Perhaps it is in the very definition of family reunions, this blend of fun moments, clumsiness, awkwardness and the inescapable brooding of conflicts. As words are spoken and the first meals and drinks are served, there may be a feeling of tentative unease in the air, especially if a family’s past has not been without conflict. But then again, there just may be no family without a conflict or two hanging in the air once its members have gathered.
Maybe it is this kind of atmosphere which attracted director H.P. Mendoza to the subject. For his feature debut “Bitter Melon” the Filipino-American filmmaker relied upon his experiences with his own family, especially his coming-out as a gay man in front of them. In his statement included in the press kit for the film,...
- 11/4/2018
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Domestic violence and black comedy don’t seem a natural match, but to an impressive degree “Bitter Melon” pulls off their shotgun marriage. This third and best directorial feature to date for H.P. Mendoza, best known for writing, composing and starring in 2006’s “Colma: The Musical” (which Richard Wong directed), revolves around an eventful long Christmas weekend for members of a Filipino-American family with a history of abusive fathers. The complex tonal, textural and thematic mix here doesn’t always work, but it’s always interesting and often invigorating.
Christmas in San Francisco may not require winter wear, but there’s a certain amount of frost in the air as the Santos clan convenes for a rare (and nearly full) family reunion. Gay youngest son Declan (Jon Norman Schneider) has flown in from Manhattan, with eldest Moe (Brian Rivera) from Philadelphia, both returning for for the first time in years.
Christmas in San Francisco may not require winter wear, but there’s a certain amount of frost in the air as the Santos clan convenes for a rare (and nearly full) family reunion. Gay youngest son Declan (Jon Norman Schneider) has flown in from Manhattan, with eldest Moe (Brian Rivera) from Philadelphia, both returning for for the first time in years.
- 5/18/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
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