Our Time Machine

From the opening sequence (which brought tears to my eyes) to the final scene (which revealed a simple profound revelation) I was engrossed. The film spoke to me on so many levels- as an artist, as a middle-aged man, and as someone who is dealing with aging parents.

For me the tension that is laid bare is a paradox- that the most valuable thing an artist can give those in his life is their work, and that the making of that work pulls us away from those very people we want to share with. To see this passed from father to son is heartbreaking- but also maybe the most beautiful gift a father could give to his son.

The film is also gorgeous- The Maleonn's puppet world is so detailed and obsessive and beautiful; you want to climb in and never leave (which is the goal). But Chiang's and Sun's cinematography and structure adds another layer of magic and beauty; creating a mysterious, dreamlike, lush, layered, surprising film that pulls us in.

I also really appreciated the intimacy that the filmmakers achieved with the family. The camera captures moments that are almost unbearable to watch, but I didn't feel the filming was exploitive, but had a gaze of empathy and love.

Reading what I wrote, I am struck by how inadequately my words reflect my deep experience of the film. OUR TIME MACHINE grapples with large, universal human issues: wanting our lives to matter, wanting to stop our parents (and our own) march towards death, wanting to find something or someone that makes us feel whole.

Our Time Machine offers such an emotional journey about the reality of Alzheimer's disease. This is a documentary about a son doing what he can to show his appreciation toward his father, who is has Alzheimer's disease. This film is beautifully created, with a very emotional tone as we get to the see the production of the play and the hardships it faces, while we also see the father's health declining. It shows the ups and downs in the art world and what a son is capable of doing to express his gratitude and appreciation. A Chinese artist creates the biggest project of his career - an autobiographical play that uses mechanical puppets to tell the story. He struggles with time, money and his father's health, as he becoming more and more ill with Alzheimer's disease.

Our Time Machine is the documented story of Maleonn and his father Ma Ke. Throughout the film, we learn about the background of the family, and how invested they are in the art world. The story really shows the emotions that the son is feeling, as he feels frustrated, sad, emotional, but excited at the same time. It is an emotional journey, as there are father/son moments that are very touching, but also the doctor visits for the father are extremely sad as they show his health degrading. The main parts of the film are how the play is taking direction and its process, and the counterpart of how Ma Ke's health is declining to the point he does not remember the most basic aspects of life.

The camera work is diverse as it moves from scene to scene, depending on the context of the work. There are moments where pictures are shown or celebrations, such as birthdays and anniversaries, take place in real time. The camera moves as the characters move, and capture the complete context of the scenes. The locations vary throughout the film. The flow is very continuous, and everything takes place in different scenarios. The two central sets of the documentary are the parents' house and the place where the play takes life. In addition, locations from the past and present, and even outside the country can be observed. \

There is little background music, and it changes from scene to scene. It does not drive the action in the film as much as the conversations between all the characters. That is what gives life to the film. But the sound effects are essential to get the complete message. They vary and are mostly focused to enhance dialogues between the puppet father and the puppet son. They help with the flow of the play and how it is presented in stage. All the visual effects take place in scenes where the son or the father are reminiscing about the past, and in scenes where the son is dreaming and creating his play. They are remarkable, as they are thoughts that are later done exactly how they were intended.

This documentary took around three years to complete, focusing on the artist Maleonn and his family. There are many persons involved in the film, as it shows the family of the protagonist as well as his team and employees that give life to the play.

Everything that Maleonn does in this film has an ultimate goal - to show his appreciation and gratitude to his father before is too late. He does everything he can to make this possible, but time and money are to his disadvantage. Everything that we see and feel during the documentary just highlights the main message: We need to appreciate and embrace every moment with others before it is too late. In this case, the artist tries to do this with his father who is forgetting everything and everyone around him. This is a hard reality for many families around the world, and it is necessary to live and appreciate those good moments before the bad ones that may come in the future. Sometimes those good moments are the ones that give us strength and hope for the hard ones that can come.

You should know that it contains some profanity and behavior. There is a scene where the artist is celebrating his birthday with his colleagues. They are drinking heavily and use some mild language, d*mn and *ss. Also, smoking is a recurrent act throughout the movie. Almost all the main characters can be observed smoking at some point of the film.

What I love about this film is the engineering process of creating every single thought Maleonn has. I was mesmerized by the creativity and the work that took place to create all the pieces of the stage and the mechanical puppets. They are so realistic and so well designed. The scenarios in the play are breathtaking. They recreate a plane from scratch and everything is neat and planned. I was in awe in every single scene where all these elements are shown, as they are incredibly created and structured. The protagonist is Chinese artist Maleonn. His father Ma Ke, is a well renowned Peking Opera director.

I give Our Time Machine 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 15 to 18, plus adults. This film is beautiful in all areas. It has great production values, a real and emotional storyline, it sends across a valuable message, and the use of art and creativity throughout the documentary is of high quality. It is a rather complex film, as it is intended for older audiences such as older teenagers and adults. Also, it shows the hard reality of a person with Alzheimer's and the emotional toll that takes on the family. This film shows the frustration, the sadness, the rawness of the desperation in the father's face, and that makes it more touching and real. I shed some tears when I saw these scenes, as I could see the impotence of both the father and the son in different moments, and that is what really made me think about my family and how to appreciate every moment I get to share with them. Reviewed by David O., KIDS FIRST! Reviewer

What a masterpiece this movie is! It is so much more than one movie, or a documentary. Don't read too many reviews, just take the plunge and let yourself be engulfed in awe, love, patience, honesty and above all, art in its most truthful form: inspiration from pending loss, the promise of a gift and the realization of both. It was beautifully strung together, many times I heard myself exclaim involuntarily my admiration for the director Yang Sun, his real name but within this context almost interchangeable with young son, which is almost too romantic given the topic. But he is for real and his commitment to this journey from his subject and protagonist Maleonn, who is creating this theater piece Our Time Machine for his father is breathtaking; both emotionally, internally, and as a story teller, externally, is so concise, so full of love for the story, you can't just but watch, mesmerized and overwhelmed in a grateful way. And you will be touched! Deep, no holds barred, but with the sensitive touch of a dreamer and the ravaging skills of an artisan. Both Maleonn and the director tell their respective stories, one from within and another as a witness; This combination of his storytelling with the absolutely overpowering emotional prowess, honesty and artistry of Maleonn makes this an absolute tenner! Highly, Highly recommended!!

The score by Paul Brill is amazing as well, underscoring every step of the way as significant, while maintaining the richness of variation in the supporting soundtrack to be constantly on point, never in the way but exactly the opposite: it elevates it to a dreamed reality, yet as real as our normal lives but even more visceral, more focused on the continuous flow of their "now". What a thrill ride!

Easily entering my top 20 of "my" (as in opinion, not property) best movies of all time!

Highly enjoyable, moving, and tolerable for all 80 minutes! Realistic and not generic look at family dynamics after decades of perseverance over a difficult time in modern Chinese history, various mid-life crises, and artists' existential crises. All these little sparks are captured on cameras held in good hands. Glad to see that a subtitled Chinese-language film that touches upon many delicate topics can succeed as an international co-production, supported by multiple funders and institutions from around the world.

Cannot recommend this enough. Had my spouse and I reflecting on the meaningful long-term relationships - in and out of our families - all weekend. Also - a wonderful diversion from the daily realities of life in USA during 45's reign. Beautifully filmed, remarkable human story.