The unique story at the heart of writer / director Xi Huang’s “Daughter’s Daughter” explores profound moral and emotional dilemmas, but the film’s overly long runtime and sluggish pacing detract from what could have been a more impactful experience. The issues of family legacy, grief, and the ethics of reproductive technology are interesting, but the pacing often stretches scenes unnecessarily and makes the entire film feel labored and difficult to engage with.
The film tells the story of Aixia (Sylvia Chang), a mother who is grieving the loss of her daughter Fan Zuer (Eugenie Liu) after a tragic accident. Fan and her partner (also killed in the same accident) had started down the road of IVF, and Aixia suddenly finds herself tasked with a difficult decision of what to do with her deceased daughter’s embryo.
The story introduces a fascinating moral question about what should be done with an embryo after the death of its parents (there’s no easy answer). This film is guaranteed to spark important conversations about life, family, and the ethical choices we make.
Huang explores the generational complexities of women in one family as well as the cultural expectations they face. While it’s engaging to see younger women interact with their mother, grandmother, and each other, I never developed a real connection with any of the characters, who felt distant throughout the story. When you can’t truly understand or connect with them, it makes it very hard to care about their struggles. By the time their personalities and motivations are revealed, the emotional connection has already waned.
The film features a great deal of uninteresting dialogue, and the drawn-out nature of Huang’s storytelling further undermines the urgency and emotional depth of these discussions. He has the tendency to overindulge in slow, meditative moments that don’t always serve the story. Sequences that could have conveyed their meaning in under two minutes are stretched into prolonged, often tedious, vignettes that will test your patience.
I mostly enjoyed “Daughters Daughter,” but primarily for the intriguing, emotionally rich premise. It’s thought-provoking, but the static pacing is what ultimately ruined this for me.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 