'Til Madness Do Us Part
2013 film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
'Til Madness Do Us Part (simplified Chinese: ç¯ç±; traditional Chinese: çæ) is a 2013 Chinese cinema verité documentary film directed by Wang Bing. It observes the daily activity on one floor of a Chinese mental institution in Yunnan, Southwest of China.
| 'Til Madness Do Us Part | |
|---|---|
International promotional poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | çæ |
| Simplified Chinese | ç¯ç± |
| Directed by | Wang Bing |
| Written by | Wang Bing |
| Produced by |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by |
|
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates | |
Running time | 228 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | Mandarin |
The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, on 4 September 2013.[2][3][4]
Premise
The floor of the Chinese mental institution houses 50 male patients, including individuals who have killed someone, those who committed crimes against public officials, and those with developmental disabilities.[4] It is not clearly stated why the men are in the mental institution, adding to the observational approach of the documentary.[2] The documentary film uses handheld camerawork and digital video to capture the relationship between society and individuals.[4] Towards the end of the film, one of the patients is allowed to return to his home village. It creates a contrast to the isolation and atmosphere of the mental institution.[2]
Reception
Slant Magazine said, "Whether in terms of filmmaking or indeed reality itself, it's hard to think of a more quietly radical proposition than the one Wang is making here: There's compassion to be found in even the harshest of circumstances; it's all about knowing where to look."[5]
Festivals
The documentary was shown at the following festivals
- 2013 Venice Film Festival
- Winner, 2013 Festival des 3 Continents of Nantes
- 2013 Toronto Film Festival
- 2013 Rio Film Festival
- 2013 Busan Film Festival
- 2013 DocLisboa
- 2013 Viennale
- 2013 Golden Horse Festival
- 2014 Rotterdam Film Festival
- 2014 Goteborg Film Festival
- 2014 Hong Kong Film Festival
- 2014 Sydney Film Festival
- 2014 Edinburgh Film Festival
- 2014 Melbourne Film Festival
- 2014 Geneva Film Festival[4]
