Is There a Pine on the Mountain

When the mother of filmmaker Chongyan Liu’s boyfriend comes from China to stay with the couple in their small Parisian apartment, it gradually becomes clear where his violence comes from. Initially, Liu films the quarrels in the cramped kitchen, with what appears to be a hidden camera; the faces are blurred. Reproaches about petty annoyances fly back and forth, until the arguments become bitterly serious.

After that, the conversations in the house are accompanied by still lifes of the rooms, images of household items that have been broken, and scenes with intimate close-ups of the (now ex-)boyfriend’s body. Off screen, mother and son take turns talking about their difficult and toxic relationship, revealing that domestic violence is passed on from one generation to the next.