Nouvelle cuisine

Not exactly a horror film, but definitely not for the squeamish. Dumplings follows the tale of a Hong Kong dumpling maker and a TV actress who feels past her prime (her husband is having an affair with a younger woman). Dumpling maker Aunt Mei has a secret formula that can restore youth and extend life. The audience is gradually let in on the secret ingredient and the details grow more and more gruesomely explicit as Aunt Mei maintains her cheerfully glamorous housewife demeanour. When you know this is a really sick movie, the director piles it on thicker and thicker, casually filtering in lurid details amid a beautiful montage. OK, you've been warned. The description above should tell you whether you want to stay away or make a beeline for the next showing.

The exquisite cinematography (and much of the resulting elegant and sophisticated look of the film) can be attributed to Christopher Doyle, whose work includes such visually stunning gems as 2046, Infernal Affairs, The Quiet American, and In the Mood for Love. Dumplings might be in poor taste, but it is served up with delicacy and finesse, and with much of its 'horror' deriving from the believability of the basic plot.

As you come out of the cinema, other members of the audience may look at you as if you are the most depraved person in the world for sitting through 90 minutes of such stuff, so just remember they did too . . .

There are things you can't believe people just do to achieve something important to them. This, I think, I call obsession. And what is obsession? I define it as an irrational motive for performing trivial or inchoerent and compulsive actions against everyone's will. A psychological feature that is inconsistent with reason or logic.

And that's what this movie is about: To remain beautiful and young, a woman embarks in a sick and disgusting taste for a repugnant menu... Dumplings as they say... but really they're more than that!

This remind me of Erzsébet Báthory, Countess of Transylvania during the XVII century, when she firmly believed that if she bathed in the blood of young virgins she could be young and healthy forever.

"Dumplings" is uncomfortable, nauseous but captivating at the same time. The story of Ching Lee (Miriam Yeung), retired TV actress, who goes into the moral's depths of pursuing the eternal youth. With her betraying husband (Tony Leung Ka Fai) and the underground female chef Mei (Bai Ling), the critic goes far beyond the main subject, talking about, ironically, the narcissist impulses and the birth control in China as in the superfluous and pointless today's society way of living.

The movie is a spiral between revenge, betrayal, obsession and frustration with some vile and loathsome graphical scenes that should, undoubtedly, be offensive for the sensible ones.

Rather than be just a shocking film, Fruit Chan, the director, constructs a masterpiece of unappeasable fixation that's to stay young at all costs and thus, deepening it into the viewer's subconscious, awakes us to other facts: When we have a strong physiological obsession, we humans, do whatever it takes to fulfill that desire...

Sometimes you see a movie where (factual content and (emotional)effect are strongly in opposition to each other. For example, in 'Pulp Fiction' the content includes a lot of random and 'accidental' violence, even against totally innocent people, but the way it is portrayed prevents you from taking it seriously. It is like the violence in a cartoon such as 'Tom and Jerry'. It provokes laughter rather than disgust.

Dumplings is such a movie. It portrays a young (sort of) woman: 'aunt' Mei, who earns her living making dumplings that rejuvenate the eater, effectively giving him or her eternal youth, as long as they are regularly eaten. Now the catch is in the 'special ingredient'. I won't reveal what this secret ingredient is (although it becomes clear very early in the movie) but it is one of the sickest ingredients that I have ever seen, read about or heard of. The unique feature of this movie is that it is able to utilize this horrible element without becoming a movie that is either simply disgusting (like 'Braindead') or slapstick (such as 'Ichi the Killer'). On the contrary, it is actually a quite funny story about the interaction between Mei and her clients and about their increasing dependence on her dumplings.

But what makes the movie really worth it ( to me, at least) is social commentary that it includes. The real issue is not the 'special ingredient' of the dumplings, but the fact that people are so desperate for 'youth' that they're willing to do everything for it. In a society totally focused on the external norms (like wealth, beauty, and appearance) it is no surprise that the internal norms (like law, morals and compassion), atrophy and get discarded like a snake discards his old skin. This externalization of norms, however, is not criticized or punished, but rather advocated (by the film, not necessarily by its maker) as natural and acceptable, indeed inevitable. It is this highly subversive and thought-provoking element of the film that makes it truly worthwhile.

With the recent announcements that they are releasing a new Rocky movie and Basic Instinct sequel, it doesn't half make you despair. Getting away from the mainstream though and you may find this gloriously dark movie about contemporary vanity.

Story centres round a woman who whilst still very beautiful is shunned by her husband for younger more nubile girls. Fearing the decline of her looks to be able to keep the attention of her husband, she seeks out the meals (the "dumplings" in the title) of an estranged ex-doctor who feeds her with the belief that she has the answer to eternal youth.

Revelations and twists and turns, darken the proceedings as the film goes on (which I won't mention to not spoil the show) but it is unlikely that you will see a darker satire than this all year.

Excellent acting, sharp script and an unsettling score all combine to make a revelation of a film. The camera work is sharp, and the message is powerful yet never ham-fisted.

The nearest equivalent I can think of is "Death Becomes Her" (the US film with Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep & Goldie Hawn), but that is more light hearted in tone. This has humour, but far more blacker than that movie, with themes that touch not only rich society but also the working class as well.

A great movie, which I would highly recommend!

"Dumplings" tells the tale of a former doctor, who operates a dumpling shop from her home with a secret youth creating ingredient. A former actress, past her prime seeks out this special food created by Aunt Mei in order to attract her adulterous husband's attention. Fruit Chan makes no attempt to imply or hide the secret ingredient from the audience, but rather lays out the premise from the beginning, while increasing the graphic details throughout the film. This film explores some disturbingly probable themes, especially how far people will go to reclaim their youth, and the emphasis society places on looking young. He manages to explore the repercussions of this quest for youth, while still leaving some details up to the interpretation of the viewer. The film is exquisitely shot, with some amazing angles and close-ups surrounded by beautiful cinematography, and set design. He manages to bring the viewer into the world of the characters making the theme all the more real and disturbing. Fruit Chan accomplishes this realism by juxtaposing Aunt Mei's blunt and complacent attitude with Mrs. Li's deterioration into desperation. Definitely not for the squeamish, or easily disturbed. To some this topic will be upsetting. However, for those who like something a little different, or fans of such directors as takashi miike or chan wook park, you will love it. I enjoyed it thoroughly.