I find it kind of odd that I saw this film right after I saw Entre Nos, because the two films are very similar. It’s not that one rips off the other, or that the plot is unoriginal, it’s just that they both have a lot in common. Both Children of Invention and Entre Nos are about minorities trying to survive in America, both feature two children, and both films have a plot in which the family must come up with alternative ways to make money. However, Children of Invention is much more creative and inventive in terms of just how the story unfolds. In this film we are yet again told the story of a single mother trying desperately to make some money in order to keep her children safe and happy. While I’m sure this already sounds familiar, in this case we find a mother who ends up falling for every pyramid scheme known to man before finally being wrongfully arrested for her relation to the scandals.

When detectives decide they don’t want to let her go, her children are left alone, squatting in a model home and fending for themselves. With little money they actually concoct a rather brilliant plan to make money by creating and selling their own inventions. Needless to say, this is a rather novel idea that you wouldn’t expect from your average children. Unfortunately, because the children in question are asian, the sharp sting of stereotypes seems to envelop the whole film. While they make a strong attempt to defuse these negative stereotypes by poking fun at them here and there, we still end up seeing quite a few of them in the film. It almost gets bad enough in some parts of the film so as to make you question whether the film is condemning the stereotype or the actions that might create the stereotype.

Either way, I didn’t find this to be too distracting throughout. The excellent and engaging use of storytelling and cinematography in the film were simply too good to let you focus on some of the more negative aspects of it all. You can expect a slight case of shakey-cam in Children of Invention, but only so much as to help the film to feel more real than it actually is. It’s easy to get drawn in to the universe that is created for you, and you may just find yourself upset with some of the more negative characters in the film, as if they were real. I feel that the way the film was shot and the way the script was written helped to aid this effect more than anything else, but obviously you’re going to need some decent acting to pull off the feel as well.

Children of Invention features two child actors who, as in Entre Nos, had very little previous acting experience. However, their ability to pull off their roles is absolutely fantastic as it is easy to fall into the lull of their tale. Michael Chen plays Raymond, the big brother of Tina, played by Crystal Chiu. While Crystal at times feels a little stale, Michael makes up for it by leading the sibling rivalry. Cindy Cheung plays Elaine, their rather desperate mother. The character pretty much calls for her to be a little gullible, so it’s understandable that it feels as if Michael almost outperforms her. Be that as it may, it’s important to recognize her performance because together with the children they managed to find the perfect cast for this film. Sometimes it feels as if you need a certain group of actors in order to get the right give and take, push and pull that will make for both a story and a group of characters which will engage the audience and draw them in. In this case I have to say they got the formula pretty much dead on perfect, because these actors truly feel like they are actually a family and they are actually going through the struggles that they find themselves in.

If there is any problem with this film, it is the lack of detail. The filmmakers ended up doing everything so well that in the end the audience is drawn in enough that they want more. The story, while being excellent, doesn’t give the audience what they would expect and as such it might leave you wanting. It seems that so much time is spent developing and creating the characters and the situations they find themselves in that they neglect and forget to have an interesting and entertaining result to the story we’ve been told. Just like Entre Nos, the film feels too short and you end up wanting to know more about the story. However, while Entre Nos has a logical ending which brings completion to the story, in the case of Children of Invention I was genuinely left feeling that I had been cheated out of a conclusion. I tend to find this issue with a lot of independent films, but in this case it really bothered me because I enjoyed the rest of the film so much. I want an alternate ending, damnit!

Like Entre Nos, the director is closely tied to the story as it is loosely based on his own childhood. It’s almost creepy that these two films were both released in such a close proximity to each other given how very similar they are. However, as I said before, the stories are very different and end very differently as well. You will notice the similarities, but it will be easy to see the differences as well. Being that each story is based on true life experiences, somehow I doubt that both Tze Chun and Paola Mendoza intended any sort of rivalry between the films, although they no doubt fought for attention on the Indie Film market. That being said, I personally found Entre Nos to be much more touching and true to life than Children of Invention. Both films are worth watching, but this one just doesn’t have the punch to it that a film of this genre should have. I suppose that makes it more family friendly, but unfortunately that doesn’t make it a better film to watch.

Final Synopsis: Children of Invention is, well, inventive. It is pretty entertaining and can and most likely will draw you in. However, chances are it will also lose you in the end.

Points Lost: -1 for negative stereotypes, -1 for uneventful ending, -1 for being too short.

Lesson Learned: Asian kids are smart and like to play video games and eat ramen. Oy….

Burning Question: Just what is the story between this and Entre Nos? The similarities are almost cosmic!

Children of Invention

7/10

Tags: chris teague, cindy chung, crystal chiu, drama, family movie, michael chen, Movie Reviews, New Independent Film Reviews, Sundance Film Festival, syncopated films, tze chun