Critics fail to warm to father-son drama

Chinese director Wang Xiaoshuai is no stranger to the Cannes Film Festival. His Shanghai Dreams won the Jury Prize in 2005. This time round though, his work has not enjoyed the same favor with the critics.

Wang is competing for the Golden Palm with his poignant father-son drama Chongqing Blues, which is set in the foggy city in Southwest China and tells the story of an aged sailor's search for the reason for his son's violent death.

Screen Daily speaks highly of the strong performance by veteran actor Wang Xueqi as the father, who "provides emotional ballast", though critic Lee Marshall said his performance "fails to make up for the glacial pacing of the drama."