Gaau ji (2004)

Director:

Fruit Chan

Writer:

Lillian Lee (writer)

Release Date:

20 August 2004 (South Korea)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

In Hong Kong, Aunt Mei is a cook famous for her home-made rejuvenation dumplings, based on a millenarian...

Plot Keywords:

Rejuvenation | Abortion | Hong Kong | Neglected Wife | Fetus

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Ling Bai	...	Mei, the cook
Pauline Lau	...	Masseuse
Tony Leung Ka Fai	...	Mr. Lee (as Tony Ka-Fai Leung)
Meme Tian	...	Connie (as Meme)
Miriam Yeung Chin Wah	...	Mrs. Lee
Miki Yeung	...	Kate

Also Known As:

Dumplings (Hong Kong: English title)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

German | Mandarin | Cantonese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:18 | Brazil:18 | France:-16 | Argentina:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:M18 | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB)

Company:

Applaus Pictures Limited

Movie Connections:

Edited into Sam gang yi (2004)

An exquisite exercise in bad taste

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 . . .