In an interesting detour from 2008’s delightfully quirky Parking, Chung Mong-hong’s second feature is the bittersweet study of ten-year-old Xiang. In the tradition of Empire of the Sun, and The 400 Blows, Xiang faces a lonely future after his father dies, until his estranged mother unexpectedly shows up at the orphanage. But living with his mother and his brutal stepfather, Xiang has a fragile home environment at best. The perceptive and inquisitive boy finds comfort in drawing, which allows him to express his innermost thoughts. The Fourth Portrait paints a picture of the life of a young boy struggling to find his place in a world of poverty and domestic violence.
The film won the Best Director and Best Supporting Actress prizes at the 2010 Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-language film industry's biggest event.
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