Words Glenn Blomfield
“Watch and connect with this endearing documentary, it may just bring a magical tear from inside.”
Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang’s film is a beautifully executed gem of a documentary. I was tenderly moved and carried away by its sweetness and connection to the fragility and strength of life. You will feel the compassion to life’s creative endeavours, and what a connection between father and son can bring together with this passion. The story is about a boy, now a grown man, he lives his life as an artist, his father, which was once an accomplished Peking Opera director of theatre, directed over 80 shows in Shanghai, has come to a stage in life where he has a fading mind, confusion in his mind grows stronger while his memory grows weaker suffering from Alzheimers. A son wants this one last chance of collaboration, to work on a play about this very thing, a son wanting to help his Father who becoming more forgetful. In this play he builds a time machine and goes back to collect a lifetime of important memories.
Maleonn is an influential Chinese artist, now in his forties, ambitiously creating a play with life size puppets, dedicated to his Father. The puppet show, is magical show of engineering and puppetry, showcasing his organic mechanical unique designs. Influenced by the story of Pinocchio which his father introduced to him as a young child, I would definitely love to see this puppet production. With its steampunk aesthetics, shadow play, and its other magical mysteries waiting to be discovered. Of course with a endeavour such as this, passion alone is the driving force, there is many trials and tribulations in this journey. It’s not only about a son wanting to collaborate and connect with a father, but also the meaning of losing of time, and keeping the creative spirit alive.
This Documentary ‘Our Time Machine’ is a beautiful moving piece of cinema, I love that spark of magic and wonder, that wonderful sense of mystery and discovery in the arts, and connection with reality, dealing with its joy with zeal and compassion. Life is a wondrous thing, confusing and mysterious, and there are many ways to look at its perspective and deal with it. Why not build a time machine? it is only our creativity that is prevents us from doing this. Do yourself a favour, watch and connect with this endearing documentary, it may just bring a magical tear from inside.