A Thousand Years of Good Prayer

Last night I saw the Japanese premiere of Wayne Wang’s excellent film A Thousand Years of Good Prayer at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo. Producer Yukie Kito, an acquaintance of mine, presented the film.  The film was shot entirely in my hometown of Spokane, Washington, which was apparent in the opening sequence as they drive from the airport into the city. After the film Kito mentioned that the short story by screenplay writer Yiyun Li was based on was actually set in Nebraska, but Spokane was chosen since it gave off a Midwestern vibe, but was still close to eh west coast. It is the story of an expatriate Chinese woman whose estranged father comes to visit in America. His visit is not completely welcome. It is a subtle film about father/daughter relationships, happiness and sorrow, communication and miscommunication, coming to terms with the past, and much more. Henry O gives a commanding performance as the father, and was duly rewarded with a Best Actor prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, it also won best film there. This is an art film and definitely not for everyone, but for those who are patient and enjoy a moving family drama, you will be rewarded.