Cook Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) has found the secret of eternally youthful looks and she is the product of that. Set in Hong Kong, she travels regularly to mainland China to get aborted foetuses which she then uses as the special ingredient in her dumplings. Mrs Li (Miriam Yeung) is a failing actress who feels threatened by the loss of her youth and the loss of her (older and wealthy) husband's attention. She is prepared to pay Aunt Mei for her dumplings, but gets increasingly desperate for the 'best stuff' (aborted foetus that is five months or so along) as she realises her husband is having an affair with a young masseuse. However, Aunt Mei knows a young girl who wishes to have an abortion which meets all of Mrs Li's requirements and more and arranges to perform this. However, Mrs Li's obsession is causing her problems and things start to go wrong.
I rented this film as I heard some good things about it, and certainly the premise is original and is fairly sensitively done. I found the first thirty minutes a bit slow, as a lot of time was taken getting the film going. In fact it is not a fast paced film at all; it is more of a journey. I see it as a brief film of where Aunt Mei and Mrs Li's lives have crossed, they have impacted on each other but lives still go on (unless you are an unwanted baby of course). There is not much plot and the film kind of meanders to the end, without any real conclusion, so if you like your films to be tight to a plot and have a neat finish then this is not the film for you. Obviously the subject matter could be offensive to some, and for the most part the director, the fabulously named Fruit Chan, has made an effort for this to not be the case, with only one or two shots of the secret ingredient, they are not given a close up for the most part, you are supposed to assume that it is there. However, the film does have an 18 certification. There is no nudity, some scenes of a sexual nature, and a few gory scenes involving blood. I am normally fairly squeamish but this didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. This is the only reason I can see for the 18 certification.
The film has been classified as a horror and I don't think it really is if you consider horror as slash and gore or leaping-three-foot-off-the-sofa type of films. This is ultimately a much more subtle type of horror and probably more disturbing for it. I think you could classify it as a very dark, drama with some subtle irony. The film is dialogue led, but not to so much that you can't keep up with the subtitles.
'Dumplings' has also been screened as a shorter 30-40 minute portion of a larger three story omnibus entitled 'Three...Extremes'. The other two films are 'Cut', directed by Park Chan-Wook, and 'Box' directed by Takashi Miike.
I think Miriam Leung put in an excellent performance as the insecure, middle aged Mrs Li, and was convincing enough for you to believe her desperation that she would eat what she did. Bai Ling won a Golden Horse for her portrayal of Aunt Mei. As a young woman she has to pretend she is much older than she actually is and her lack of self-awareness, style and gait makes Aunt Mai initially appear ungainly and a tad trashy, but is actually how an older woman in a young woman's body may act.
EXTRAS
There is an interview with Bai Ling in English where she discusses the differences between Hollywood and Asian film making. It is quite long at 23 minutes and personally I didn't find it very interesting and skipped most of it. This would be more of interest to her fans though.
There is also the original theatrical trailer, and five other trailers for Asian films including 'Three…extremes' as mentioned above, and 'Lady Vengeance'.
Literal translation: Gaau Ji
Running time: 91 minutes.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
This film, was on the tv last night, i watched the first 10minutes before turning it over, i think having now read this that had i lasted the first 30minutes perhaps i would have managed the last 60 too.
iamasadlittleboy 06.03.2007 18:28
good rever, but wheres my dumplings
*bangs knife and fork on table*
gaunts 02.03.2007 10:15
Brilliant review, sounds like a great film, i love the Chinese style. very impressive information and detail
Wickedly delicious and sinfully satisfying Fruit Chan's seventh film is a delightful and ... more
squirm-inducing voyage through the slippery-slope nightmarish perils of vanity. Featuring Bai Ling Miriam Yeung and Tony Leung Kar-Fai and the sumptuous cinem...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
No woman can possibly resist the token of rejuvenation - flip over its dreamy blissful ... more
side and you will find an expansive nightmare of endless pursuit. An ex-starlet and now wife of a prominent business man is desperate to resume her youth before her ...
![Dumplings (2004) [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78471073.jpg "Dumplings (2004) [DVD]")
very helpful by (100%):
