Chinaman (2005)
"Kinamand" (original title)

In order to pay for his divorce, a plumber marries a Chinese woman who needs citizenship.

Director:

Henrik Ruben Genz

Writer:

Kim Fupz Aakeson

Stars:

Bjarne Henriksen, Vivian Wu, Lin Kun Wu

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bjarne Henriksen	...	Keld
Vivian Wu	...	Ling
Lin Kun Wu	...	Feng
Paw Henriksen	...	Michael
Charlotte Fich	...	Rie
Chapper Kim	...	Zhang
Laura Bro	...	Sagsbehandler Statsamt
Peder Pedersen	...	Politimand #1
Thomas Gammeltoft	...	Politimand 2
Mathias Sparre-Ulrich	...	Antikhandler
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeppe Kaas	...	Kunde
Johan Rabaeus	...	Björn
Mogens Rex	...	Sagsbehandler
Nicolas Winding Refn	...	Lægen
Buppha Witt	...	Party Guest (as Noi Amponpunt)

Storyline

Keld, an overweight, uninspired Danish plumber, is alone. When his bored, frustrated wife leaves him, he begins to eat dinner at the family-run Chinese take-out across the street. Working methodically through the numbered menu, he finds an unexpected friend in Feng, a genial man with his own concerns. Keld helps fix the plumbing in the diner, and then Feng asks for assistance with another problem: his Chinese sister requires a marriage of convenience to stay in Denmark. Enter Ling (Vivan Wu), a young woman who is not at all comfortable with this "strictly pro-forma" arrangement. Over time, Ling's gentle influence brings Keld into a world of tradition, full of surprising rewards and life-changing affection. This romantic tale has the fairy tale feel of what just might happen when people fall in love.

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Plot Keywords:

chinese | plumber | divorce | marriage | chinese woman | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Denmark China

Language:

Danish

Release Date:

1 April 2005 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Chinaman

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fine & Mellow Productions, Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min 88 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mette Horn was originally cast as the neighbor of Keld, but her role was cut from the film. On the DVD, there are some deleted scenes with her, and she is mentioned in the credits under thanks.

User Reviews

Expressing love can be difficult

A rare gem as a Sino-Danish venture, this film is about the ordinary human existence of living without drama and love unexpressed. Our protagonist is a dumpy, boring plumber who plays chess. Unsurprisingly, his wife of many years is unexcited and wants to leave him. Keld, our plumber, has little to do with little money to spend so he routinely visits a restaurant each night which leads to our story.

Keld, played by Bjarne Henriksen is convincingly boring and homely. His excitement for the day is choosing between #4 and #5 on the Chinese menu. A pro forma marriage to help payments for his divorce turns to be the most colorfully warm moment in his life. He learns to love Ling as he awkwardly fits into the Chinese family. Ling, played by Vivian Wu is mysterious, beautiful, and traditional. One has to wonder whether she loves Bjarne, but it is apparent that she does have a quiet caring affection for him. But neither can verbally communicate love to each other. Another restaurant patron (Kunde) voices first concern for the interracial relationship and then offers wisdom that not expressing love is like purgatory, not between heaven and hell. If you don't do anything, he says, you can't go either way and it is worst.

The acting is terrific, truthful and humble. There are touching moments as when Keld is practicing to profess his feelings in mandarin. Or when his son rats on him to get him in trouble -- the investigators say there was no evidence of a marriage (or love?). So painful for Keld and the audience since we know what is apparent to some isn't true. And there are funny, candid moments such as Keld sitting awkwardly between the elderly couple in the silk robe in front of the Chinese television programming. Or when he pretends to speak of love in mandarin in front of the immigration official.

A quiet gem of the ordinary human experience. Even a boring existence is priceless.