Picture of Malinka Winata as Queenie, courtesy of London Flair
Malinka Winata on Instagram
Winner – Crystal Bear for Best Short – 73rd Berlinale Film Festival (Generations)
Winner – Audience Award – SXSW ’23
Winner – Best U.S. Short – Palm Springs International Shortfest 2023
Director-Writer Lloyd Lee Choi
Suspended disbelief swept me as I watched QUEENIE, played smartly in the lead role by Milinka Winata in her film debut. She was 6 when she was cast for the role, and 7 when production started. In her debut, she portrays a 7 year old forced to grow up too fast when she realizes the family business is closing because of the Pandemic.
Queenie travels by subway alone, panhandles commuters for change, collects plastic bottles and cans to recycle for cash, steals from grocery stores out of necessity and negotiates money exchanges all on her own in the “mean streets” of New York City, on a school day – a little girl taking on the burdens and challenges of grown-up life. Lloyd’s depiction of harsh reality, however, is exaggerated somewhat though it nevertheless makes an acute impression, succeeding in drawing audiences deep into the life and journey of Queenie from the beginning of her day to her evening.
Christopher Lew’s cinematography was on point, for example, such as his using the lack of warmth in color to bring to light the cold harshness of urban city life. I especially liked the clarity of the scenes even through the steam coming from beneath the ground was super impressive.
Low camera angles (cats eye view) showed the city in the point of view of a child. The use of aerial shots, also at low angles, shows the audience different locations in the city as little Queenie travels to all on her own.
During a time when many businesses are still going under due to the pandemic, this film shows the devastation that can happen on children. The little actress Malinka Winata portrays Queenie with humor, confidence and precociousness. The reality that this happened to many children in the real world is heartbreaking.
I recommend this film for its artistic expression of one perspective of a harsh reality and for its cinematographic achievement.
Lloyd Lee Choi is a Korean-Canadian writer and director living in Brooklyn. His last short film, SAME OLD (2022), world premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, received a Special Jury Mention at TIFF and won Best Short at Raindance.
Producer Jonathan Hsu has produced multiple award winning commercials, music videos, and films. He has worked as an executive producer on the horror movie A WOUNDED FAWN for Tribeca 2022’s Midnight Program, and his first feature documentary film STARRING JARRY AS HIMSELF world-premiered at Slamdance 2023 for a hat trick of Grand Jury, Audience Award, and Best Actor. He was selected as a fellow for Film Independent’s Fast Track 2022 program.
| Director: | Lloyd Lee Choi |
| Executive Producer: | Nina Chaudry, Paula Weinstein, Michelle Hamada, Alex Ingber |
| Producer: | Jon Hsu, Lloyd Lee Choi |
| Screenwriter: | Lloyd Lee Choi |
| Cinematographer: | Christopher Lew |
| Editor: | Ashley Ingbretson, Lloyd Lee Choi |
| Production Designer: | Chen-Wei Liao |
| Sound Designer: | Bobb Barito |
| Music: | Charles Humenry |
| Principal Cast: | Milinka Winata, Eleven Lee, Allen Chen, Joe Chan, Maggie Law, Amie Cazel, Khadijah Muhammad, Christopher Chan, Greg Kritikos |
| Additional Credits: | Casting Director: Kate Antognini, 1st AD: Harrison Monico, Associate Producer: Peter Mamontoff, Art Director: Jennifer Zhou, VFX: Foreign Xchange, Colorist: Joseph Bicknell, Music Supervisor: Maxwell Gosling, Production Coordinator: Andrew Gavin |
Sandra Cambrelen can be reached at sandra.cambrelen32@myhunter.cuny.edu