October 19, 2005
Dumplings clip online
Dumplings is a movie I really wanted to see at the EIFF this year, but I missed it...awww...mainly due to a gazillion other movies on and this seemed to be one of the three movies that weren't available on DVD or Video.
The story is about a rich woman who wants to remain young, and in doing so finds a chef whose dumplings are renowned for doing just that...but there's something in them. Word of warning, if you're going to watch this movie DO NOT read the IMDB summary. They give too much away.
Over at Asian Movie News they have the link to a clip of the opening of the movie, it's over at IGN. It looks well filmed and very pleasing to the eye, and what jolted me was the line two minutes fifty three seconds into the trailer:
"Just think of the results, not what it was"
The ominous tone is perfect. Very nice clip. Anyone seen the movie in it's entirety? It's supposed to be quite unpleasant!
Posted by at October 19, 2005 04:29 PM
Comments
Posted by: Jay Seaver at October 19, 2005 04:39 PM
Not sure which version I saw, but I'm pretty sure it was well over 45 minutes. The movie didn't do much for me, besides the gross out factor. So I wouldn't set my expectations too high for this.
But then I didn't like Sigaw either.
Posted by: dRob at October 19, 2005 09:03 PM
I also saw the Three Extremes version, but it didn't do much for me either. It is well done indeed, but I found nothing special about the story except the gross out factor. I wasn't that shocked, either. I wouldn't be interested in seeing a longer version.
Off-topic, I must say I enjoyed The Box the most out of Three Extremes.
Posted by: T-Jax at October 20, 2005 03:42 AM
This film started out as one of three shorts in an Asian director anthology called Three Extremes. Fruit Chan's short film stood along side artistic genre-mashers Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer) and Chan-wook Park (JSA, Oldboy). It being the best of the three, Chan made it into a feature film, and brought along superstar cinematographer Chris Doyle (Hero, In the Mood for Love) for the ride. The result is a visually stunning take on the age-old quest for eternal youth, paired with the twin sins of envy and vanity.
A woman is losing the attentions of her rich husband and seeks a solution from another woman whose dumplings are said to be 'therapeutic.' With unnatural youth of course comes a price, nothing so blasé as damnation, but more a look into the mirror of ones own lack of character for going to these lengths for personal ego and conceit.
The movie takes a fascinating look at Chinese myths of miracle potions and the odd little delicacies consumed to increase virility. But there is more to it than that. A woman's connection to her self-image and it being tied to self-worth are contrasted against a variety of maternal instincts (creating) and human desires (consuming).
As mentioned above, the original anthology was titled Three Extremes, and for good reason. There is some disturbing imagery here. You may never eat a Chinese dumpling again after watching this film. It dwells deep in the dark and primal depths of human need, its rich visual palette lulling a false sense of security when the movie pounces with well timed intense imagery. The film is not for the faint of heart, but at the same time, to write it off as pure genre is a mistake as well. Dumplings is edgy piece of entertainment with an eye for colour, and a mind for delicate subtext with I assure you, will never see an american remake.
Posted by: Triflic at October 20, 2005 12:42 PM
The secret ingredient is....
SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER Sp- BABY FETUSES SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
Ewwww.
Posted by: Joseph Simmons at October 20, 2005 05:28 PM
I saw the 45-minute version that was part of "Three...Extremes". I'm not sure whether it was edited down from the feature, the feature was an expansion, or Fruit Chan originally intended to make a "featurette" but wound up with enough film for a feature, but the featurette version is excellent. First time since "Irreversable" that I've been kind of doubled over in my seat, really thinking I may throw up from a movie. I kind of worry that the feature version may lessen the impact, spending time on other subplots when all you really need is in the shorter edition.
And, yeah, a lot of reviews/synopses do give too much away. Not that the "secret ingredient" is really the point of the movie; it's much more about the willingness to exploit it than just being shocked.