'Til Madness Do Us Part (simplified Chinese: 疯爱; traditional Chinese: 瘋愛) is a 2013 Chinese cinema verité documentary film directed by Wang Bing. It observes the daily activity on one floor of a Chinese mental institution in Yunnan, Southwest of China.
The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, on 4 September 2013.
Contents
Premise
The floor of the Chinese mental institution houses 50 male patients, including individuals who have killed someone, those who committed crimes against public officials, and those with developmental disabilities. 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.
Reception
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."
Festivals
The documentary was shown at the following festivals
2013 Venice Film Festival
Winner, 2013 Festival des 3 Continents of Nantes
2013 Toronto Film Festival
2013 Rio Film Festival
2013 Busan Film Festival
2013 DocLisboa
2013 Viennale
2013 Golden Horse Festival
2014 Rotterdam Film Festival
2014 Goteborg Film Festival
2014 Hong Kong Film Festival
2014 Sydney Film Festival
2014 Edinburgh Film Festival
2014 Melbourne Film Festival
2014 Geneva Film Festival