The Home Song Stories
Writer and director Tony Ayres has been compelled many times over the years to recount the tragic story of his mother, “Rose”. In The Home Song Stories he brings her momentarily to life on the screen with a story that revolves around his family’s first year in Australia, with references to years preceding and following this eventful year.
Rose (Joan Chen) is a glamorous nightclub singer in Shanghai. Having been given little in the way of practical guidance from her parents, she has had to rely predominantly on her looks to succeed in life.
She marries an Australian navy man, Bill, only to leave him a week later. Throughout her life, Rose and her children come to rely on Bill to bail them out of situations that they find themselves in, as a result of Rose’s ceaseless quest for a better life.
The Cinematographer and Production Designer do well not to get carried away with the period settings and the potential for an excessive or lurid cinematic depiction of those times. Kudos too, to Director and Screenwriter Tony Ayres, for resisting the temptation to paddle into melodramatic waters with this heart-wrenching story: subsequently, the performances in this film ring true.
Joan Chen looks stunning as Rose during her younger, more glamorous years, and succeeds in transforming herself into an older, increasingly insecure and frightened woman. Similarly, Irene Chen is convincing as both the quiet young girl we meet in the beginning of the film, and the seductive young woman she is becoming by the end.
Joel Lok has an adorable presence on screen as Rose’s son, Tom. Thanks to his acting, and even more so to Ayres’s restrained screenplay and direction, we can see what is going on in little Tom’s mind, from the expressions on his face. This is an important quality in filmmaking, and in the actors who bring the characters to life.
You may judge Rose, or perhaps her son, in the telling of this tale. Maybe you will consider the relationships in your own family, and set about healing them before it’s too late.