Summary
A family faces the unexpected consequences of chasing the American dream in this independent drama. Elaine Cheng (Cindy Cheung) is an Asian-American single mother who has recently moved to Boston with her two kids, ten-year-old Raymond (Michael Chen) and eight-year-old Tina (Crystal Chiu). Elaine's financial situation is precarious, and when she loses her job, the family is evicted from their home and begin squatting in a flat in an unfinished apartment building. As Elaine struggles to maintain a stable home life for her children, she takes a job related to a questionable pyramid scheme; Raymond and Tina are left to their own devices most of the day, and he passes the time creating makeshift inventions he dreams will someday make him rich. When Elaine is arrested as the police shut down the pyramid scheme, Raymond becomes the head of the household and must use his wits and resourcefulness to care for himself and his sister. Children of Invention was the first feature film from writer and director Tze Chun; it was adapted from his 2007 short film Windowbreaker and was an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Additional Information
| Subjects |
Single mothers
-- Drama.
Siblings -- Drama. Inventors -- Drama. Disappeared persons -- Drama. Squatters -- Drama. Asian Americans -- Drama. Boston (Mass.) -- Drama. Feature films. Melodramas (Motion pictures) |
| Publisher | [United States] :The Kids Are Alright Productions,2010 |
| Edition | Deluxe collector's ed. ; widescreen. |
| Other Titles | Windowbreaker. |
| Contributors |
Chun, Tze.
Cheung, Cindy, 1970- Chen, Michael, 1997- Chiu, Crystal. Griffin, T. Impact Partners (Firm) Sasquatch Films (Firm) |
| Participants/Performers |
Cindy Cheung, Michael Chen, Crystal Chiu. |
| Other Contributors |
Producers Dan Cogan, Trevor Sagan ; Produced by Mynette Louie ; Director of photography, Chris Teague ; edited by Anna Boden ; original music by T. Griffin. |
| Audience |
MPAA rating: Not rated. ["Neither film contains foul language, violence, nudity, or sexual situations, and are therefore suitable for viewing by young children ... We believe that the films would have a PG rating." -- Publisher's website ] |
| Language |
English |
| Notes |
DVD release of the 2009 motion picture. Deluxe collector's edition: "This version of the DVD is for educational use in the classroom or for public and institutional library collections. Restricted to classroom viewings specifically connected to a teaching/learning activity in which all viewers (teacher and students) are involved, or to library loans to individuals for home viewing. Does not include public performance rights." -- Film website. Bonus features: 'Windowbreaker" short film by Tze Chun; cast & crew commentaries; cast interviews; deleted scenes, audition tapes; theatrical trailer. |
| System Details |
DVD ; widescreen (16:9) presentation ; Dolby digital 5.1 surround ; 2.0 stereo, NTSC. |
| Awards |
Official selection, 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Grand jury prize, Boston Independent, Los Angeles Asian Pacific American, Newport international, and San Diego Asian Film Festivals; Emerging Filmmaker Award, Hawaii International Film Festival; Winner, Special Jury Prize, San Francisco International Asian American, Nashville, Sarasota, and Indie Memphis Film Festivals; Visionary Award, Austin Asian American Film Festival. |
| Description |
1 videodisc (86 min.) : sound, color ; 4 3/4 in. |
| ISBN | 0615338364 9780615338361 |
| Other | Classic View |