Dumplings (2004) User Reviews

An Asian Movie That Hollywood Will Never Remake

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 25 August 2007]

In Hong Kong, Aunt Mei (Ling Bai) is a cook famous for her home-made rejuvenation dumplings, based on a millenarian recipe prepared with a mysterious ingredient that she brings directly from China. The former TV star Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeoung Chin Wah) visits Mei aiming her dumplings to recover her youth and become attractive again to her wolf husband Mr. Li (Tony Leung Ka Fai). Along the sessions, Mei tells Mrs. Li that she was a gynecologist in China with more than 30,000 abortions along ten years. When Mrs. Li requests an acceleration of the process, the opportunity comes when a fifteen years old teenager with a five months incestuous pregnancy comes with her mother and asks Mei to make an abortion.

The bizarre "Gaau Ji" is a low budget Asian movie that Hollywood will never remake. The disturbing and gruesome story depicts an unpleasant theme, certainly a taboo for the American industry, and has excellent performances highlighting Ling Bai making the story totally believable. The Brazilian DVD prudently advises that this film contains strong scenes and is not recommended to pregnant women and sensitive persons, and I totally agree. However, it is highly recommended to audiences that expect to see the break of a taboo in Hollywoodian productions. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Escravas da Vaidade" ("Slaves of the Vanity")

Note: On 28 December 2012 I saw a short version of this film again in an imported DVD ("3 Extremes", segment "Dumplings").

An exquisite exercise in bad taste

[Chris_Docker · 7/10 · 20 August 2005]

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 . . .

Dumplings: restoring one's youthfulness, for whatever it's worth

[Gigo_Satana · 8/10 · 12 November 2005]

Strangely I didn't feel like reviewing this film upon initially watching it. Not because it didn't impress me or repulsed me as it did others, but it simply got lost in the shuffle of so many other great features of 2004-05 that I'm still making my way through.

The film opens up with Ling Bai going through the airport, with the camera loosely following the pinko decorated lunch box, then letting her into the frame and a thought immediately rushed into my head, "what was the last time that I really enjoyed anything with Ling Bai?". Seems like an easy enough question. Couldn't possibly have been a film called She Hate Me or the atrocity that was My Baby's Daddy. Her appearance on VH-1's career decapitation of a show "But Can They Sing?" clearly won't be raising her stock as a serious actress, yet there's still something mystifying about her. Enough to actually fit into the eeriness of this film.

My intuitions got reassured as Miriam Yeung walked into the perfectly disarrayed blockades of projects of Hong Kong, where the director captured the cold blue ambiance and already achieved something out of almost nothing. Ling Bai effortlessly portrays Mei, a self-employed cook and she is her own best advertisement and her dumplings? well they just maybe the best cure for anyone wanting to preserve and restore his or her youthfulness. Miriam plays Mrs. Lee, a retired actress willing to pay the high price for these special dumplings, financially and morally. She is actually the complete opposite of her character in real life, age-wise, but her voice and naturally mature looks achieve plausibility and especially come in handy with the progression of the story. Not a bad stretch for Miriam who spends most of her acting time in fluffy romance comedies.

Her primary cause of seeking rejuvenation is to regain the affection of her husband Mr. Lee, played by Tony Leung Ka Fai, who just happens to be an unemotional womanizer and a health nut himself. The pacing of the film might be a slight nuisance to some while not as stagnating and demanding as Ming Tsai's 7 to 400 Blows or Hsiao Hou's Café Lumiere. At the same time don't expect a charade of gory outbursts done purely for the sake of shocking you as the film takes a concentrated approach and builds up tension quite well before the tasteful (no pun intended) moments of desolation.

Even well after the revelation of the dumplings' main ingredient, this film stood still and needs to be commanded for its surprise but fitting choice of actors and their refreshingly good acting chops, as well as its atmospheric cinematography crafted by Christopher Doyle who smartly avoided over-serving us with his usually unusual bag of tricks. Not a film that I'll need to view over and over again, but who said that good films are only measured by the number of times one can enjoy them?

They do anything to stay young and pretty!

[jpgonc · 7/10 · 23 April 2006]

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...

Effective - at being extremely disturbing

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 6 July 2016]

Despite not containing a single second of on-screen violence, DUMPLINGS is one of the sickest movies I've ever seen. I feel nauseous just thinking about it and ever watching it again is out of the question. Whether you view it as a modern-day parable of the age-old quest for eternal youth, as a gross-out comedy, a satire of anti-ageing products, or as a bleak horror film about cannibalism in China, you're guaranteed to have a reaction to what has to be one of the bravest films I can recall watching.

It's a well-made movie. Fruit Chan is proficient at the technical aspects and he also elicits a couple of fine performances from his two leading ladies. Bai Ling dominates proceedings with her ultra-sensual turn as Aunt Mei, but the story really belongs to Miriam Yeung, whose quest for youth and jealousy of her husband's infidelity leads her to some very dark places. The film was originally conceived as part of a trilogy of short films under the THREE EXTREMES banner and later expanded to full length, and it does have the feel of a short – this is a mood piece rather than a focused narrative, and there's little in the way of action.

Still – it's no secret that the story is about dumplings that contain human foetuses that help restore youth. The whole idea is completely disgusting and watching people eating said dumplings is utterly repulsive. There are graphic abortions here too, along with some horrible egg things that people enjoy eating, so I'd advise viewers to eat NOTHING before watching as you're liable to bring up your lunch with this one. DUMPLINGS is a disturbing little movie that's all too effective.

Scenes that you'll remember forever.

[RonHeartburn · 9/10 · 30 March 2006]

Vanity - one of the Seven Deadly Sins. This film explores the length some people will go to look young and beautiful. I really enjoyed this film; the acting was good with some great camera angles and a cracking soundtrack. All very distasteful but done in tasteful way - sort of. If a film can disturb me then it impresses me - some of the scenes in this movie certainly achieved that, unlike anything I've previously seen in a film and I'm a real horror buff. Although this is not a horror film it certainly ranks along side one for it shocking and disturbing value. I highly recommend this film to anyone, if only for the unique experience if delivers. 9 out of 10 (looses 1 point for being a CatIII film with 3 sex scenes and not even showing a nipple!)

Gyoza's with Added Essence...

[Xstal · 6/10 · 2 February 2022]

Some people enjoy a more diverse diet than others but diversity has its lines in the sand too and, while it's not uncommon (although still rare) to consume a new-born's afterbirth (apparently), in order to get to that position in the first instance there are those who might explore less palatable hors d'oeuvres - as we find in this disturbing exhibit.

Beautifully shot and disturbingly interesting

[rei47 · 8/10 · 29 October 2005]

"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.

Got any special stuff?

[come2whereimfrom · 7/10 · 7 September 2006]

Not so much a horror as horrific. With youthful properties gained from apparently eating dumplings containing special stuff, I won't give away the twist that happens in the films opening sequence, this is a visceral ride through this sordid Hong Kong tale. With cinematography by Christopher Doyle who did last life in the universe and 2046, it looks amazing, the crazy colours and dazzling visuals are offset by disturbing ideas and gross out scenes. What follows is a story of the length people will go to in pursuit of vanity. Well acted, well paced and always unnerving you are never sure where the film is going to go from the start to the madness of the final chop ending. Fans of the twisted and people used to the bizarreness of Asian extreme films will really be swept along in the story and all the disgusting close-ups that add to the horror. Adding also is the crispy clear sound that has such attention to detail that the slightest noise even one as banal as a clock suddenly takes on an eerie feel. Overall a brilliantly played out film but one for those with a strong stomach.

I've swallowed worse

[j30bell · 5/10 · 31 January 2007]

Ever wondered what the sound of the crunch of teeth on well, never mind. You'll find out.

You may not be surprised to know that this recent Extreme Asia flick isn't really about cooking. Well, not entirely anyway. You may be more surprised to know that it's not really a horror film. It is pretty disgusting though; so don't think about watching it unless you've got a strong stomach.

It's impossible to explain the plot in any detail without giving away the gruesome surprise. But fortunately our director, Fruit Chan, has explained all. It is, apparently, all about modern women's obsession with staying young. Well, possibly, although to judge by the camera-work it's more a feature length homage to Ling Bai's chest than her gift for experimental cooking.

What it really boils down to is that classic, older man married to older woman falls for younger woman who turns out to be old enough to be older woman's mother but has discovered an evil formula for staying young involving, well, never mind, you'll find out, story. Nothing complicated there.

Tony Leung Ka Fai gives Ling Bai's chest (along with the rest of her, his wife and his other lover) his customary and lascivious attention. So it's pretty much as you were all around.

But what the hell, I enjoyed it. It's well acted (with relish, in fact), pretty well plotted, has a couple of suitably gruesome plot twists and I felt genuinely involved with the characters. My faith in Christopher Doyle's camera-work has been given a partial rebirth after the cheesiness of Hero. And, of course - as a man - it was nice to feel vindicated in the belief of ones total non-responsibility for at least one of the world's ills.

As a genuine discussion of the issues of feminine youth obsession, it might come across as a bit shallow. But then it's basically a fable. Fables need a simple message. And this film has just that: blame women.

So, if you're a woman, just remember this is all your fault. Nothing to do with men like Leung Ka Fai at all. It's you all down the line, you evil swine.

Sick, funny, subversive, thought provoking.

[david-san · 8/10 · 6 April 2006]

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.

Tasty full-length feature offers a little more to sink your teeth into than the short.

[ninjas-r-cool · 7/10 · 18 March 2011]

Those who've seen the Dumplings short on the rather awesome 3 Extremes compilation know basically what to expect here. Much as Se7en became known for its "What's in the box?" sequence, this movie has become infamous for "What's inside the titular dumplings?", the answer of which is far grimmer than the severed head of a terrible actress. It's played very well, with the revelation ensuring that many lines of dialogue create shivers and every crackly crunch of a dumpling being munched on inducing squirms in most audience members. Sure, it's a one trick pony, but when the trick involves sledgehammering one of humanity's ultimate taboos, then you don't really need another.

Dumpings is about a woman who's desperate to get rid of some wrinkles and give her skin that youthly glow in order to hold her husband's interest. Of course, any husband worth a damn would oblige by dropping trou and offering up a batch of the world's most effective face moisturiser, but this guy's too busy with business and shagging women on the side to perform this kindly service. Their relationship is somewhat typical of the phenomenon whereby male wealth and female beauty go hand in hand. It's how we end up with the sugar daddy concept and why we see Donald Trump types marrying fake-tanned, fake-titted models a third of their age; females across the globe striving for ultimate beauty just so they can spread their legs for a guy old enough to be their grandfather in return for a diamond necklace. The sacred bond of marriage has become, in many cases, nothing more than a form of socially acceptable prostitution. I now pronounce you scumbag and whore. Now sign your certificate and start trading services.

So, Dumplings comments on this societal plague that sees a woman's beauty as a quantitative valuation of her overall worth, but it's also about the need to prolong one's youth to the detriment of others, mainly the youth themselves. The idea of leaving a better world for our children has been discarded in favour of a "me first" attitude where scrambling for every possible way to make the most out of life contributes to a legacy that damns the children before they've even left the womb. The Beatles told the baby boomers that all they needed was love, but the baby boomers weren't listening. They don't want love, they want a nicer house. Then they want the car they've always dreamed of, but then they need another car to drive to work. Of course that means they need a new house with a double garage, and while they're at it, why not buy another house as an investment property. The next generation inherits a world where luxuries have become necessities because you can't possibly be happy unless you own lots of stuff, right? Right? So you'd better work your ass off to get those things or else other people will think you're a failure. Screw weekends, that's 2 whole days that you could be working to buy more things. Oh, but make sure you get to the gym at 5 am because you're no spring chicken anymore, and remember your next Botox treatment is on Sunday. Follow that through to its logical conclusion and you have a whole bunch of great looking parents spawning the most spoiled, privileged generation of kids in history who are cutting themselves out of sheer boredom and apathy toward their own self-worth. Future fetuses being masticated between the teeth of superficial here-and-now "happiness", because the human race forgot that all it needed was love.

What does that have to do with Dumplings? Nothing really. Got a little side-tracked. Sorry 'bout that. Incidentally, it's a good movie. You should check it out, even if you've already seen the short.

Not Your Average Dumplings!

[makiprettywoman3 · 7/10 · 18 May 2013]

Dumplings deals with some serious issues. You have Bai Ling. Bai Ling plays Mei a famous cook known for her home made rejuvenation dumplings. There is a secret ingredient in these dumplings. You are not told this woman was a former gynecologist and person who used to perform abortions. You won't know much about Mei exactly until a little later in the movie.

You have a former TV Star Mrs. Li who visits Mei because she think those dumplings can help recover her youth and become attractive again to her husband. At what costs is it worth looking young? There also ends up being problems with husband such as having sex with other woman than his wife.

Some of the content in this movie is stuff you may morally object to. This movie deals with a lot of different moral issues tied to love, beauty and abortion. Just having something like abortion in a movie would probably turn away any American from wanting to watch a movie like this. They ended up taking a short story and made into a 90 minute movie. It does end up being a little bit slow at times. This is an interesting movie. This is worth seeing at least once.

How far would you go in order to look young?

[KineticSeoul · 7/10 · 9 October 2010]

Now this is my least favorite segment in "Three Extremes", but seeing how the it's a lot longer than the short segment made me enjoy it a lot more. Now some horror movies are better left with some of the mystery surrounding it and is better left with leaving some stuff out. I personally think that wasn't the case for this film, although I thought some of the stuff in this extended version would have been better if left out, majority of the stuff is a real plus. A lot of the dialogue is interesting that was left out in "Three Extremes", and makes you think about women and there struggle to look young. The film also deals with the one child policy in China and questions how far would someone people go in order to look young. The cinematography was good and it's a well acted, well paced film with a pretty good horror plot. I wasn't so sure about the extended version, but glad it came about. It's a engrossing and disturbing yet interesting while having other elements that will keep most horror fans pleased.

7.6/10

Frighteningly good, yet disturbing allegory of contemporary vanity and the desire and desperation to feed it

[joebloggscity · 8/10 · 14 March 2006]

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!

Amazing cinematography

[reguizar · 7/10 · 29 May 2020]

Is a interesting story about the obsession to be young and the cultural concept of eating fetus to keep you that way, a dark concept but so beautifully done.

A real stomach churner!

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 8/10 · 2 November 2008]

In Hong Kong, an owner of a small Dumpling restaurant named Aunt Mei (Bai Leng) is famous for her special dumplings that help rejuvenation fast. Retired TV Actress Mrs. Lee is a loyal costumer who enjoys her delicious delicacy and feels more younger, but her dirty bastard of a husband is cheating on her as it wouldn't make any difference. Mei use to be a former abortionist and later Mrs. Lee will soon discover the secret recipe.

Grueling, well acted and alarming horror thriller from Hong Kong that is one of the most shocking films to ever come from Asia. Director-Editor Fruit Chan has made one sick little movie that doesn't really have much gore but disturbing subject matter to make the viewer a little queasy. There is some dark humor to propel the sickening atmosphere of this movie that makes this little film one controversial shocker. The cinematography is well crafted and the direction is quite nifty, this movie will guaranteed to mess with your mind once it's over.

Certainly worth watching.

[imdb-19548 · 7/10 · 24 October 2007]

This is a strange film with an unusual central premise.

The main characters are all well played and reasonably believable, it is weird that a woman with the key to eternal youth lives in a small flat in a poor part of town and it is hard to understand why Mrs. Li wants her cheating husband back so badly but these character flaws are easy to ignore.

The plot twists are all quite small and not hugely surprising, this isn't a film built on surprise it is a character study of a woman so desperate for youth that she will do anything to get it.

It's not a film that will leave you amazed or excited or disturbed (unless you are very squeamish) but importantly there is nothing bad about it, it is an unusual idea taken to a logical conclusion with a lot of style and with some good writing and direction.

Cook, Thief, Lover, Wife

[tedg · 4 June 2007]

What an indigestible mess! I'm not talking about the story.

My only experience with Fruit Chan was "Public Toilet." It was a very successful movie for me. It sketched an open world — unending quests, open characters, like we find in life. The forces we see are those of death postponed, recycled. Sure, it introduced a coprophagiac mermaid and such notions, but the thing had a kind of life; elements passed by one another and through and by these motions it defined life.

So imagine my expectation for this project that combines such a promising a filmmaker with the most interesting cinematographer working today. Doyle has the ability to create an inner animation, a pulse of the retina's veins, within the vision of the filmmaker — if he has a vision.

But this project has a closed world. Its a simple narrative, completely unlike "Toilet," except for being unreal. Less so but in the same magical direction. There are three main characters: a wealthy man, his aging wife (a former actress), and a sort of magical witch doctoress who serves up the dumplings that reverse aging. (Actually, it merely enhances the body for sex, an interesting substitute.)

The story actually matters here: we have to invest in these characters, where the "Toilet" characters were tokens, moving bits of a larger machine. So we expect the story to give value as a story. It doesn't. What it does is set up a few scenes: three athletic sex scenes, one abortion and the penultimate scene which is intended to be the most disturbing. But because we have no human connection to the thing it loses the effect.

There's one interesting device. Lots of energy is spent in hearing the eating of the dumplings. We also hear the noises of bodies joining. Its quite shocking — explicit, and obviously deliberate as the sex scenes are staged in such a way that there is less to watch than film convention usually provides, so you notice this sound. They are pretty much the same, the dumplings and the copulation.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Dumplings dumped for dumb dish of the day.

[Cinema_Fan · 5/10 · 18 August 2006]

Hmmm, bit of a let down this one, my own fault and no one else to blame what so ever, I must add. While building myself up to seeing what I presumed to be a horror tale, Dumplings turned out to be a horrific tale of just plain food for thought, thinking, where was the waiter who should have brought us a more flavoursome dish? Dumplings left me unsatisfied and just a little peckish for that missing something, maybe a meaningful and thought provoking plot, a sense of drama, an air of trepidation or simply put: excitement, though not altogether dull, just empty and uninspiring

While beautifully shot, in places, by the cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Dumplings is a movie of narcissistic vanity and over indulgence of trying to recapture lost youth and, of course, beauty, as these two ingredients, of life, must come together as one package for the participating sleeping beauties here.

Unfortunaly, with reprising ones years gone by one tends to become blinked and totally self-motivated, whatever the consequences. Here we see the middle and upper classes going to any extremes to remain ever so pretty, just for the sake of a glance and a nod.

This movie could have worked, but it just didn't, the location for the protagonist's home, a run down part of the city, was very effective, but, as with the overall plot, the rest of the locations and the drive for Dumplings were virtually non-existent.

This age old story line, take the 1935 and 1965 movies She with Helen Gahagan, Randolph Scott and Ursula Andress with Peter Cushing, respectively, for example, this story has rejuvenated itself in many forms, with Dumplings, this is more regurgitation than revitalisation.

The characters are given no scope, no depth, then again, it really isn't about "them", they're too vain to be anything else, and it's about the life long human interest of eternal youth and the price that is duly paid by us all. Their preoccupation with their reflective self's are all that there is to play with, the feeling of shock at the methods are short and swift, when this has passed we are left with a shallow and fruitless concept that has been trod in the sands of time all so very often.

Sickening but utterly brilliant!

[oddly_world · 10/10 · 29 April 2006]

Wow. Of every twisted, disturbing and gross films I have ever seen, Dumplings is my number one. However, it is also my favourite film EVER. The reason why? Well, read on...

The main reason why I think this film is utterly brilliant is the mise-en-scene (everything in a shot): the camera angles are abstract, interesting and "unconventional"; the lighting is odd, mysterious and sometimes eerie; and the colour is so bright that you'll think you're watching an urban tropical rain forest! The acting is fantastic too, and all three main characters shine in every proportion.

The plot of the film is somewhat..."wrong" but believe me, it is one of the most exciting films to have sprung from East-Asia. I felt that it is far more disturbing that the likes of 'Audition' and 'Bad Guy' - it is not a horror film. It is an extreme film, with the feeling of horror.

Believe me, this is one of the best films ever made and I can easily watch it over and over again. Even though it does make my stomach turn with every watch...

if you see it, know what you're in for

[sigmonae · 6/10 · 16 July 2006]

Okay. Intellectually, I can appreciate what it is trying to say. The social commentary is biting and unflinching. In this film, all of the women are victims in some way of a perverse, materialistic society in which they exist as sex objects and fantasies for men. Once they grow old, they are discarded, their lives now purposeless, impoverished, and empty. The promotion for this film says that Mrs. Li, the protagonist, is motivated by vanity, but this is not quite the case. She is simply so twisted by the need to please her man and, in effect, to survive, that she will commit the most horrifying crime imaginable. I am NOT excusing her behavior- she chose her path for herself, and could have turned back once she realized what was going on- but I think that Fruit Chan is trying to show that society is sick, not simply Mrs. Li. There are also interesting class issues going on. The literal image of the rich making a feast of the poor in order to be rejuvenated is powerful, if disgusting.

THIS SAID, I had to walk out of this movie and have a nice cup of tea. I just couldn't stand any more dead babies being chopped up. Fruit Chan spares no one and cares nothing for decency. This movie got me thinking, which I suppose is a good thing, but I'd have maybe rather read this as a novel than see all the gory details in a movie. It is a good film, well made, and says something important about the way we live now, but it is not enjoyable, and unless you know what you're in for ahead of time, and still want to see it, I would advise you stay home.

Atmospheric and disturbing addition to Asian horror

[DVD_Connoisseur · 7/10 · 15 April 2007]

The absolutely delicious Ling Bai plays a sixty-odd year old cook whose dumplings are famous for their regenerative qualities. Bai's performance is memorable and really helps carry the film along. Miriam Yeung Chin Wah stars as the famous television star who craves for her youth and will do anything she can to regain her former looks and rekindle the relationship with her husband, Tony Leung Ka Fai.

This is a very un-Hollywood production and shows the difference that Asian movies bring to the cinema. "Dumplings" is disturbing in its taboo-breaking subject matter and unflinching in its depiction of events. Rather than deliver "Ringu"-style supernatural shocks and surprises, "Dumplings" is a much more reality-based movie with only traces of the magical included. Slow-paced but atmospheric and beautifully produced, this won't be to all tastes.

A strong 7 out of 10. Fans of category III films "The Untold Story" and "There Is A Secret In My Soup" should like this one.

Shocking, and...?

[Polaris_DiB · 7/10 · 2 March 2006]

The Western Hemisphere has always been on the hunt for the Fountain of Youth, the Holy Grail, all of those mystical magical things that gives eternal life. Here is proof that the Eastern Hemisphere is not so free from the same temptations, going to shocking and horrific extremes (1 Extreme) to pull it off.

Have any of you seen that South park episode where they drink the vials of stem cells to keep young? That's, basically, what this is. This film could have been made in America and the symbolism would be utterly smashing. Being that it's Asian, however, does that mean it's coming from a different source? What now is happening in Asian society that causes such a discomforting focus? The story, as it were, details an ex-actress who finds a woman who makes magical dumplings that rejuvenate youth. The dumplings are made from baby foetuses (foeti???), and after her initial disgust she gets very involved in finding just the right magical formula for maintaining her eternal beauty.

It's some very disturbing shock value. Too bad that's about all it is.

Don't get me wrong, it was effective enough for me to state that it's a "good movie." It's just not an amazing or wonderful movie. It has no atmosphere, it doesn't even really seem necessary to make it into a film. Somebody could have told you the story in passing and it would have been effective. It could have been a book and been more disturbing. Nothing in the film-making or presentation itself really defended this movie's purpose.

It was well-enough put together that it earns it's credit, but there's much more compelling stuff out there that can trigger the same disturbed emotion mechanism and come off a little more profound.

--PolarisDiB

Horror you cannot imagine!

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 5 August 2008]

This film from Chinese director Fruit Chan, written by Lilian Lee features the incredibly beautiful and talented Bai Ling. She makes the best dumplings; in addition, we get to see two incredible dumplings while she is chopping. Her dumplings constitute a fountain of youth. The ones she makes, not the ones she has.

Her ingredients are the secret and they are something that would be unimaginable to those who haven't seen this film. When Mrs Lee (Miriam Yeung Chin Wah) finds out what she is being fed; oh, my! But, she returns for more treatments.

The result is amazing and her husband, the multi-talented Tony Leung Ka Fai is all over her. She even gets pregnant, although told she never could.

But, there is always a price to pay for what we want.