Lilting is a nice film. Well-mannered, charming, and short (which is always a bonus), here we have good people do wonderful things for decent folk out of love and respect. But it’s testament to Hong Khaou’s skill that it never becomes scenes of syrupy sentimentality.
Elderly Junn (Pei-Pei Cheng, formerly known for her martial arts exploits in Chinese action movies) is visited by her son Kai (Andrew Leung) and she’s disappointed with him -D he doesn’t come to visit as much anymore and he’s forgotten that CD again, despite her asking him four times. She’s invited to dinner at his tomorrow… but she has to cook. But Kai charms and there’s a deep connection between the two. It’s not long before they’re laughing again. But then Kai disappears. This interchange hasn’t happened. Junn has imagined the whole thing.
It’s here that Lilting begins to reveal itself in layers. Junn’s not at home, but in a retirement community just outside London, and she’s not being visited by her son, but by Richard (Whishaw), Kai’s ‘flatmate’ and ‘best friend’, whom she’s always disliked, and Kai never was truly honest over their friendship before he died (yeah, they just dropped that one on us, and we’re not told until later what happened). Instead of tackling the guilt of making her late son feel shame about putting her in here, she transfers the rotten feelings onto Richard. In attempt to make nice and honour Kai’s memory, Richard hires an interpreter (Christie) to help Junn’s burgeoning romance with fellow neighbour Alan (Bowles)…
Despite death, grief, and a terrible loneliness due to the inability to properly communicate (whether it’s a language barrier or a secret), Hong Khaou never lets the melancholic atmosphere overpower the film. The comedic touches that he affords the Junn/Alan romance keep things somewhat buoyant and help stave off what could have easily been an oppressing gloom, even though these scenes are slight and the tone at odds with the rest of his film. Yes, there’s a Viagra joke.
But it can be so beautiful and touching, thanks mostly to the terrific performances. Pei-Pei Cheng beautifully downplays Junn, and Naomi Christie and Peter Bowles play a part, but it’s Whishaw’s restraint in the face of overwhelming loss that grabs the attention. A heartbreaker.
