WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Championing that which you doggedly support and tenaciously believe in. Those things that enter our reality, defining our path, giving us purpose always make for a strongly persuasive force to arise within us when threatened with disappearing or being taken away. It then comes down to exactly how much passion and energy we will choose to bring about to at least TRY to see those things saved from inevitability that may or may not be unavoidable. Seven year-old Queenie (Milinka Winata) wanders the streets, subways, and even a few alleyways amidst the hustle and bustle of NYC when she’s supposed to be in school. Mingling and interacting with random people she meets along the way, the goal of her innocently clever efforts to sell various things remaining a mystery, she diligently collects any money earned with an energetic and exhausting resolve. But, to what end?
Next, my Mind:
The verity of a child’s persistent drive and such unwaveringly positive perspective both strives and dashes against the rocks of inexorable, inescapable truths life can throw our way through this heartbreakingly stirring Oscar qualifying short film from writer/director/producer/editor Lloyd Lee Choi, producer Jonathan Hsu, coordinating producers Michelle Hamada and Alexandra Ingber, executive producers Paula Weinstein and Nina Chaudry, plus associate producer Peter Mamontoff. Anchoring itself on foundational thematic forays that illustrate carefree happiness, the struggle to survive, the strength of human desire to succeed, and yearning to make an impact in difficult times to benefit others beyond ourselves, this becomes yet another shining example of how short film can make a resounding impact via an abbreviated that then reverberates with you afterwards, touching your soul, and making you contemplate what you’ve just watched unfold.
It is within this grounded structure and applicability to our lives in any myriad of ways that the narrative sees a hilariously cheeky, much more mature-beyond-her-years 7-year old girl running around NYC above and below ground attempting to sell items then collecting the money for reasons we have yet to have disclosed–plus she’s supposed to be at school! Just the sheer joy and entertainment we initially get in witnessing simple acts of total dedication and tireless determination exuding out of this tiny figure darting in and out of the towering city and people around her alone makes the film worth viewing, much less witnessing a comically candid portrait of undeterred, spunky daring she demonstrates in her pursuits! Top this off with moments of seeing a child’s all-encompassing fascination with everything around them and you have that ideal notion of what BEING a child was or is all about.
Yet, the film does take on more than this, as the further into the narrative we go, it becomes clear that this truly is a person on a mission while also making it clear that that longing for better things, a more comfortable, stable life, and the draw of wishing to obtain these can lead us into potential trouble if it clouds our judgment and desperation is setting in. Then the scrutiny we might finds ourselves under if caught in this becomes its own form of awakening that is scary, which is portrayed here in a particular sequence with sublime effectiveness. It’s a story of going beyond yourself to help but also discovering yourself while doing it, and how this is presented via a child only makes it more touching and intentional. The whimsical piano score that accompanies much of the film fits to a “T” but then gives way to the more emotive score that tempers the film’s finale, just immersing the instance with deep, heartfelt emotional punch in its moving reveal.
Does this critic find himself AGAIN having to say this upcoming statement–yes, this critic does. WHERE do they KEEP finding these AMAZING child actors??? I honestly feel it is no exaggeration to declare this, as once more I find myself awed by the level of young talent that’s out there! This time, it arrives through Winata, who is just CRAZY adorable to begin with, delivering a performance that is honest, intelligently expressive, completely dynamic, and utterly engaging via her role as Queenie, a highly ambitious 7-year old girl who may have ditched school, but is not just sitting on her laurels, but rather working tenaciously (and quite shrewdly!) collecting money however she can in the streets and subways of NYC. Letting nothing stand in her way, her day leads her to many an adventure while relishing moments of just being a kid. But, by the time the evening comes and she’s finally home, it becomes far more apparent there’s a definitive reasoning behind her exploits and toils.
It’s such a fantastically conveyed sense of purpose and fervor that Winata infuses the character with for the majority of the narrative, but then deftly puts on the brakes and hits you squarely with unequivocally impactful soul and sorrow at the end. Just amazing and SO appropriate for this tale’s direction. Primary supporting roles arrive from Eleven Lee as Queenie’s doting mother who’s actually unaware of what her daughter is really up to, Allen Chen as Queenie’s father, a man tormented by a fact that is causing him to have deep concern for his family and their future, Joe Chan as a local pawn shop jeweler who has quite a witty run-in with Queenie at his store, Amie Cazel as a realtor who also has a run-in with Queenie, though not a positive one, and Christopher Chan as a wealthy “customer” of Queenie’s who enjoys the art of the deal in their encounter. Additional turns come through Maggie Law, Khadijah Muhammad, Danny Chin, Aimin Zhou, and Andrew Gavin.
So, in total, “Closing Dynasty” is an acutely affecting picture of childhood innocence being experienced but also supplanted by the sometimes harsh actualities we confront regardless of age and how much it causes us to want to change the course of circumstances when seeing ourselves and those we love in trouble. The intensity of our human will to overcome shines brightest in trials, and how this film chooses to depict this is so persuasive and eloquent even in its pain. CAN hard work really pay off? That’s a question whose answer isn’t always so easy to come by.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
