Known as a painter, Qiu Jiongjiong is primarily famous in the art world for his freewheeling brushstrokes and blurring portraiture. But film junkies will recognise his name from a series of documentaries on interesting characters, such as the drag-queen/fashion designer in Madame (2010) and the solemn opera performers in Ode to Joy (2007). However, it is in his 2008 documentary My Mother’s Rhapsody that Qiu finds his perfect muse.
Tied together by a structure that separates the film into several plays, the director interviews his grandmother and asks her to look back on her 86-year-old life.
Rhapsody is filled with great stories, both funny and tragic, as well as some fine storytelling. Along the way, the director also brings in other relatives – not a surprise, since many have appeared in Qiu’s previous documentaries. His father is a regular interviewee, who retells some of the grandmother’s tales in an entirely different light, highlighting the subjective nature of oral history.
What is perhaps most engaging about this documentary, though, is that Qiu rarely interferes with his interviewees during the shoot. Instead, he lets the creative sparks shine in the editing process, turning what could have easily been a series of rambling family anecdotes into a genuine work of art.
Director Qiu Jiongjiong
China 2008
My Mother’s Rhapsody is available to buy on DVD at
Star Gallery.