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 wo years ago "Three"
was released as a single movie, an anthology composed of three different
stories made by three directors from three countries. (Hence the title, if
you were wondering.) "Three...Extremes"
once again picks up the mantle in the name of cash and, one hopes, a little
bit of creativity. The first of the three stories to be released is
"Dumplings", made by Hong Kong's Fruit Chan. (Prolific
shockmeister Takeshi Miike ("One
Missed Call") of Japan will release "Box" and South
Korea's "it" director of the moment Chan-wook Park ("Old
Boy") will release "Cut" at future dates.)
Helping Chan unleash the first of
the trilogy at moviegoers is cinematographer Christopher Doyle, who has done
some of the most visually brilliant films from Asia in the last 5 years
(including Zhang Yimou's "Hero"
and frequent collaborator Wong Kar Wai's "In
the Mood for Love" and the upcoming "2046").
"Dumplings" is about a fallen starlet played by Miriam Yeung
("Anna in
Kung-fu Land") who seeks help to reclaim her youth as well as her
philandering husband (Tony Leung). Yeung's Ching finds salvation in Aunt Mei
(Bai Ling), who despite the moniker is actually quite a fetching woman in
her '30s (or so it seems) who makes frequent trips back to China where she
collects the main ingredient in her secret recipe for restoring woman's
youth.
The secret to Aunt Mei's "secret recipe" is
her dumplings, which are made from the remains of aborted fetuses. Not to
worry, as this plot point is quickly exposed, even if Ching refuses to
accept it until much later. "Dumplings" is a cold, voyeuristic,
and unsettling film, which seems to be the intention. The film, written by
Lillian Lee, never goes out of its way to make us comfortable with its
characters. Our distance to these three people is helped by the film's use
of faraway shots and erratic scene framing. Each character is zeroed in on
his or her own wants and needs, and it just so happens that those needs
are intersecting.
As a way to forcibly make the audience keeps its
distance from the characters, Chan and Doyle frames much of the film from
slanted or uneven angles. Characters rarely stand firmly in the center of
the mise-en-scene, and at times they wander so completely off frame that
we become disoriented. As filmgoers, we are used to seeing people in focus
and in frame, so it feels strange when the camera refuses to adjust to
character movements. Of course the momentary confusion subsides, allowing
us to appreciate the stylistic nature of "Dumplings". To be
sure, it's a fabulously stylish film, from the bright colors of Aunt Mei's
tight (oh so tight!) hot pants to Ching's preference of solid colors.
More social satire than horror film,
"Dumplings" makes for an effective first movie in the planned
3-film anthology. I wouldn't be surprised if Chan's film proved to be the
best of the three, as Peter Chan's own "Going
Home" proved to be the best of the first "Three". Like
that other Chan's movie, there is an offbeat sensibility to
"Dumplings". The narrative is never completely coherent,
although it's obvious what is happening. Towards the end, the film takes
some liberties, skipping crucial plot points and failing to follow up on
others. Having invested in the film up to this point, it all seems just a
bit too much of a cheat to deny us some measure of resolution.
Of course the off-kilter story would never have
worked without a good cast. Chan has picked brilliantly in Bai Ling, who
has been doing recent big-budget Hollywood films in America since fleeing
her native China, and was recently seen in the Jude Law sci-fi actioner
"Sky Captain
and the World of Tomorrow". Ling is almost unrecognizable here,
with her boundless energy and enthusiasm for her dumplings. Although
you're pretty sure you're not supposed to like her, you can't help but
feel a bit of guilt because you just can't help yourself. Even when she's
aborting a fetus before our eyes, Ling's Aunt Mei does it with such good
humor that for a moment -- just a moment -- you almost mistake her
enthusiasm for compassion.
As the lead, Miriam Yeung, who is actually only 30 in
real life, really does look like a fading ex-starlet, which is rather
amazing considering all the pointless romantic comedy films one usually
associates her with. It's not even as if Chan and company covered her in
prosthetic make-up. As far as I can tell, the only change Yeung's
character goes through is Ching's sudden bursts of self-confidence. Do the
dumplings actually make a difference, or is it a placebo effect? When it
comes to Aunt Mei's own age, this question seems to have a readily obvious
answer, but it's not so clear in Ching's case. Like much of
"Dumplings", rather the dumplings actually work is open to
interpretation.
As the first of a planned 3-movie rollout, the
producers of "Three...Extremes" could do worst than Fruit Chan's
"Dumplings". At once alien yet familiar, and uncomfortable yet
inviting, "Dumplings" is one of those movies you know you
shouldn't like, but you can't help yourself. It's a lot like Aunt Mei that
way. You know you shouldn't approve of what she's doing, but it's hard to
look away when she's walking around in tight hot pants and always seems to
be playing with her bountiful cleavage.
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