Written and directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, on a school day, a precocious seven-year-old girl, Queenie, hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York City. Starring: Milinka Winata, Eleven Lee, Allen Chen, Maggie Law, Khadijah Muhammad, Joe Chan and Amie Cazel.
It takes a skilled hand to tell a sincere and self-possessed story of life’s hardships through the eyes of a child, and Lloyd Lee Choi not only does that but also brings warmth and charm. The story has both a simplicity and genuine depth, very quickly establishing a compelling weight to it. At the same time, it still holds onto the youthfulness of its leading little lady, her enthusiasm and resilience.
Milinka Winata creates the heart of the film as Queenie, the atmosphere she instils is infectious. She has an old-school, scrappy hustler quality but she also has a huge heart. You can see her kind and considerate nature, which presents such a fascinating perspective of money, and the struggles that generally follow. For such a young actress she has a remarkably big presence.
Visually, Choi then matches all of that energy, starting off with a quintessential New York feel. The framing work is excellent, making use of all the space and every detail or texture to add to the feel of Closing Dynasty. The aesthetic is superb right off the bat and consistent throughout, which helps to build the wave of sadness that lingers in the background of this story, additionally helped by some great score work.
Closing Dynasty has an affecting presence, both visually and thematically. Led by an utterly charming and touching performance from Milinka Winata, capturing a child’s view of a complicated situation. Lloyd Lee Choi employs his direction in such a perfect way to inject this story with even more emotion than the story already presents. There’s both a warmth and a sincere sadness to its atmosphere, it’s superbly shot and surprisingly moving.
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