Master Cheng

I saw this at a recent film festival, and was refreshed by its compassionate and humane plot and characterisation.

It is set in rural Finland. The female lead runs a struggling restaurant popular with the locals but serving the most bland of food (from our point of view). One day, a mysterious and troubled-seeming Chinese gentleman who also happens to be an experienced chef appears out of nowhere. To cut a long story short, he spices things up and takes over the operation of the lady's restaurant.

But this is only incidental; beneath the superficial plot is a deeply tender and inspiring one about two wounded individuals trying to escape the demons of their past, and falling deeply in love in the process, which is conveyed with rare compassion and affection.

This is that rare thing in cinema: a genuinely wholesome film that is never earnest or sentimental, but genuinely entertaining. It struck me that this is perhaps the first film I have seen in a long time where every single character is likeable, and where I genuinely left the cinema feeling somehow purified. Even the at first insular and seemingly xenophobic restaurant regulars show the deepest magnanimity. It's refreshing, and comes highly recommended.

I stumbled upon this movie by accident and quite early in the movie I was taken by it. Beautiful scenery, good cast and heartwarming story.

It's worth a watch, bit of old Finnish culture with beautiful nature of Lapland, mixed with Chinese culture.

I lived in Finland briefly, and watching this film made me homesick for my time there. It has an excellent sense of place and effectively evokes both Finnish and Chinese cultures. It's a quiet, thoughtful movie that takes its time. Showing an evolving romance between people from two famously reserved cultures takes special skill, but the tender performances really make it land. There were a couple of places where I felt things could have been heightened a bit, but that may also be because of the culture I'm from. I really enjoyed this, and I'd definitely watch it again.

I'm Chinese so was puzzled with the title when I happened to turn onto Netflix this evening. What a pleasant surprise watching this film and bringing back food memories seeing him cook those dishes. Setting was unusual -in Finland and actors were extremely understated so no Hollywood frills which made this movie very different and lovely to watch. Blend of some Chinese music as well as times and I was so happy that I could understand the Chinese language even though I had not used it for years due to me living in Denmark for 20 years. The landscapes were just breathtaking.

'Master Cheng' exhibits the essentials of a great film, much like the directorial films of Clint Eastwood. Low budget, small cast, limited location, but an excellent story and excellent use of both actors and location settings.

From the start of the film, I was slowly drawn in. I was kept in by the strong performances of the lead characters, as well as the mystery and emotional undertones of the two main leads.

If you're a film student, this film is certainly one to watch, as it demonstrates the critical attributes of a good movie. If you are a film-lover, as I am, I highly recommend this film as a very refreshing change from all the CGI or 'guns and explosion' laden films that we are bombarded with. This film made me want to seek out other films of this kind.

Enjoy!