A Dog Barking at the Moon (2019)

A Chinese family saga, told in different periods of time, commencing with the wife's discovery of her husband's homosexuality. When her adult daughter comes to visit, other secrets slowly come to light.

Director:

Lisa Zi Xiang

Writer:

Lisa Zi Xiang (Screenplay)

Stars:

Renhua Na, Gaowa Siqin, Zhang Yinyue

6 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Renhua Na	...	Li Jiumei (as Naren Hua)
Gaowa Siqin	...	Huang Xiaoyu (as Nan Ji)
Zhang Yinyue	...	young Huang Xiaoyu
Jiang Bing	...	young Li Jiumei
Ming Xing	...	Liu Yuanyuan
Wu Renyuan	...	Huang Tao
Thomas Fiquet	...	Benjamin
Chen Zhenyuan	...	Feng Xi
Wang Xilu	...	Gu Man
Li Fuzhu	...	Ma Yue

Storyline

A Chinese family saga, told in different periods of time, commencing with the wife's discovery of her husband's homosexuality. When her adult daughter comes to visit, other secrets slowly come to light.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Production Company website Production Company website

Country:

China Spain

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

24 April 2019 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Acorn Studio, Granadian

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Quirky view of a marriage to a homosexual man in China

To appreciate this film, you have to also appreciate, or at least tolerate, quirky directorial decisions.

The story takes place over an adult's lifetime - from when young women were living 2-to-a-room in a company dormitory, to the "present day" (main story line) when the woman is only months from retirement. To linearize the story, she gets married, has a child, finds out that her husband is homosexual, but remains married. Divorce seems to have been occasionally mentioned, but the couple are never on the same wavelength at any time.

The pregnant daughter returns home from the U.S., white husband in tow, in order to give birth in China. The mother is a constant tale of woe, starting with her dog switching allegiances to her husband. Even though she is interested in going to the U.S. with her daughter, she refuses to divorce, but instead joins a Buddhist cult, trying to pray her husband into being cured of homosexuality. From flashbacks, confrontations, and silences, various pieces of family history and secrets are revealed.

A subplot involves the husband's lover marrying a lesbian, so that her IVF baby can have legitimacy. Together with the mother's caution against the gossips for anyone unmarried over the age of 30, this film suggests that, over the years, traditional respectability is still a major social force in China.