LITTLE SPARROWS

Ma's View:

Another movie from 2010 and I'm finally writing it up in 2011!

This West Australian movie is a somewhat autobiographical look at mother/daughter relationships by director Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen.  It is definitely a film about women and for women.  The central character, the mother, is delicately drawn by Nicola Barlett who catches the reflective frame of mind of this woman who is dying of cancer, for whom every moment and every interaction with her beloved daughters is fully examined and carried out with complete awareness.  In contrast, the daughters live life at a pace (as we all seem to do in this modern world we have created), a pace which does not leave time for reflection or considered reactions.

The husband/father is on the edge of these relationships seemingly never having been close with any of the females in his life, including his wife, partly due to his job (an actor) and partly due to his character (a joker and egoist).  The mother's concern is that she has not prepared her 3 "little sparrows" for life without her guidance, but it seems they will all find a way in the end.  Ironically, it is the dad who sinks into depression, taking to the drink.

This is an interesting movie in which some passages are overly long.  Enjoyable but not right up there.

My score: 7/10

Pepe's View:

Unfortunately, I have only sketchy memories of this film.  After reading Ma's thoughts and looking up the film online, I have a basic understanding of the story but none of the characters, nor their situation has stayed with me.  Undoubtedly, this is an indication of how I received this movie which was made in West Australia and investigates the mother daughter relationship and the strength of a mother to be there emotionally for her "Little Sparrows".
Perhaps being a male, the finer points of these mother daughter relationships were lost on me - a shame really as I would have expected that a film exploring this theme could have a lot to teach every viewer.  Preaching to the converted and touching them emotionally  is hardly the mark of a great film or film-maker.

My Score:  5/10