Crystal Chiu and Michael Chen in Tze Chun's "Children of Invention." Photo by Will Serber.
Though we’re just a few months into the Year of the Tiger, I’m already getting a case of deja vu. From that guy who “made off” with everyone’s money to the mortgage fallout, the end of the last decade’s financial scandals are being resurrected in several films this year. But none takes these heady issues and turns them into a touching and at times heartbreaking story about a couple of the cutest kids ever than Tze Chun in his debut feature “Children of Invention.” Like lambs wandering a financial post-apocalypse, Raymond (intelligently played by Michael Chen) and his little sister Tina (the adorable Crystal Chiu) are forced to fend for themselves after their immigrant mother Elaine (Cindy Cheung of “The Lady in the Water”) is jailed on charges of working a Ponzi scheme. (I wonder who the lambs are supposed to be in this filmic metaphor?)
Cindy Cheung plays immigrant mom Elaine in "Children of Invention." Photo by Will Serber.
Since its Sundance premiere last year, “Children of Invention” has gone through the indie film festival circuit collecting award after award. Beating the odds, it’s finally getting a national — albeit limited — theatrical release. New Yorkers and Los Angelenos, block off March 12 when Tze Chun’s “Children of Invention” hits a theater (somewhat) near you. In the meantime, fall in love with these cute kids:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdZKPcT_3Ko[/youtube]
