| 'Til Madness Do Us Part | |||||||||||
| Native Name: |
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| Director: | Wang Bing | ||||||||||
| Editing: | Adam Kerby, Wang Bing | ||||||||||
| Distributor: | Icarus Films | ||||||||||
| Cinematography: | Wang Bing, Liu Xianhui | ||||||||||
| Runtime: | 228 minutes | ||||||||||
| Country: | China | ||||||||||
| Language: | Mandarin | ||||||||||
Til Madness Do Us Part (Chinese: t = 瘋愛| s = 疯爱) is a 2013 Chinese documentary film directed by Wang Bing. It observes the daily activity on one floor of a Chinese mental institution in Yunnan, Southwest of China. It premiered at the 70th Venice International Film Festival.[1] [2] [3]
The floor of the Chinese mental institution houses 50 male patients who are there for killing someone, committing a crime against a public official, or have a developmental disability. It is not clearly stated why the men are in the mental institution, adding to the observational approach of the documentary. The documentary film uses handheld camerawork and digital video to capture the relationship between society and individuals. Towards the end of the film, one of the patients is allowed to return to his home village. It creates a contrast to the isolation and atmosphere of the mental institution.
Slant Magazine said, "Whether in terms of filmmaking or indeed reality itself, it’s hard to think of a more quietly radical proposition than the one Wang is making here: There’s compassion to be found in even the harshest of circumstances; it’s all about knowing where to look."[4]
The documentary was shown at the following festivals