24/01/2024 - Everybody’s looking for something in the meticulously realised debut feature by Chinese director Jianjie Lin

Zu Feng (left), Lin Muran (centre) and Guo Keyu (right) in Brief History of a Family

Within a family, the power of parents’ love for their children ideally outweighs that of the expectations or ambitions they might harbour for them. But at that difficult age where very young people are required to make big decisions for their own future, many mothers and fathers struggle to maintain that delicate balance: fearing for their progeny’s prospects, they lose patience and try to crush the carelessness of youth. It’s a difficult situation where all parties involved are on edge, and therefore more likely to try to find solace outside of the family unit. For the same reason, they are also more vulnerable to incoming threats. 

Brief History of a Family [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the debut feature from Chinese director Jianjie Lin, skillfully builds up suspense and a fascinating, morbid intensity by showing in minute detail how easy it can be to let societal demands for excellence threaten even the most sacred bonds. Playing in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the film inevitably brings to mind Emerald Fennell’s recently released second feature Saltburn [+see also:
film review
film profile], for its tale of a poorer young man lying and manipulating his way into a richer family. Shuo (Sun Xilun) in Brief History also plays with the guilt harboured by his “victims:” when Tu Wei (Lin Muran) feels bad for (accidentally or not) causing Shuo to fall and hurt his knee in the school playground, he invites him home to play video games. When Wei’s parents (Guo Keyu as the mother, Zu Feng as the father) find out that their son’s new friend is much less wealthy than they are, their class guilt comes into play. But Shuo’s most effective methods are much sneakier and subtler than Barry Keoghan’s Oliver Quick, and the film as a whole is a creepier, more disturbing offering. 

For one thing, the film does not mock the kind, welcoming family: they are intelligent and reasonable people, and Shuo’s technique is careful in response. Every piece of information about his life is delivered to make the most impact all the while appearing as inconspicuous as possible. The young man cleverly makes it seem like he does not want to bother anyone with his problems, and so it’s on the parents to ask him what’s wrong — a lot, as it turns out. The shy, very reserved boy claims to eat mostly boiled rice with soy sauce as the sole garnish at home; later, he shows bruises on his body from being beaten by his father, an alcoholic. Faced with so much suffering, the parents offer a meal, a place to stay. Little by little, the favours and kindnesses add up and become more significant, to the point where Shuo spends most of his free time with this family that isn’t his own.

Shuo does at times rather blatantly cheat his way into gaining the parents’ affection, to the detriment of their real son. But Brief History dares to go to a more perverse and fascinating place by showing that the stranger isn’t accepted into the fold thanks to his skills as a manipulator, but rather because he satisfies the needs of all three parties. All three members of the family eventually come to understand that Shuo, while a victim of poverty, isn’t entirely innocent — they simply do not care. He is the successful, high-achieving, sensitive and artistic son that the parents always wanted. For Wei, he is a perfect cover, doing his homework and sitting his exams while he plays video games or practices fencing, his true passion. One could even argue that there is no exploitation or abuse taking place here at all, the way there eventually is in Saltburn. What makes this arrangement feel so distasteful anyway is its transactional nature. 

Watching Jianjie Lin expertly unfold this story with immaculate image and sound design, carefully revealing impeccable characterisation and perfectly judged story beats, is pleasurable in itself. Every decision fulfils a clear purpose and contributes to a flawless construction, while anxiety builds as Shuo takes greater and greater chances: every one of his moves threatens to send the whole house of cards crashing down, and we do not know how far he might be willing to go. An assured debut displaying a fantastic control of craft and a remarkably nuanced understanding of human psychology, Brief History dares to expose the serious strain that social and economic expectations put on a structure once meant to be a haven of love and support. 

Brief History of a Family was produced by China’s First Light Pictures, France’s Les Films du Milieu and Denmark’s Tambo Film.