The Lumiere Reader Article
(New Zealand's Online Arts Journal dedicated to criticism and review)
Father told me I was wise beyond my years
But not wise enough to foresee the day he would break my heart
Not because he wanted to
But because he was my father
And that is what fathers do
They disappoint their daughters
THUS BEGINS the narration of Wellington filmmaker Veialu Aila-Unsworth’s short animation, Blue Willow, told by its lead character, Kong-se, the beautiful daughter of a rich Mandarin. In this, her second film, Aila-Unsworth revisits the old legend attached to the famous ceramic pattern designed by Thomas Minton at the end of the 18th century. The tale tells the story of Kong-se who has been promised in marriage to the brutal warrior Ta Jin. Kong-se, though, loves a commoner, her father’s assistant, Cheng. And on the eve of the wedding the two risk everything by escaping and running away. (read more)
