#SXSW: “CLOSING DYNASTY” REVIEW

By Mr. Will Wong

After its premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, Canadian-Korean Director Lloyd Lee Choi brings his Short CLOSING DYNASTY to SXSW 2023. And what a beautiful work it is. At the heart of the story is seven-year-old Queenie (Milinka Winata), who should be in school, but instead is hustling the streets. Whether it be running her school basketball team scam on the train, hawking roses to turn a profit or dumpster diving for treasures, Queenie is determined to make a buck. But we’re left wondering why?

We see New York City throught Queenie‘s hopeful eyes, thanks to a spirited turn by our star Winata who despite her young age is able to master her character’s quiet nuances, yet capture her entrepreneurial drive. And did we mention her speaking Mandarin-Chinese with aplomb?

Cinematography by Christopher Lew is sublime and this 17-minute Short comes with an impressive polish. And when the lens finally zooms-out, we get the reality of where we are today, with the world fighting its way out of some very tough times and what that means for many of us, including young Queenie.

CLOSING DYNASTY screens at SXSW ’23 as follows:

Narrative Shorts Program 1 at Rollins Theatre at The Long Center

Mar 11, 2023

11:00am—12:42pm

Narrative Shorts Program 1 at Alamo Lamar E

Mar 15, 2023

6:30pm—8:12pm