Yes that’s a term of endearment. Or used to be. But not anymore. Not since I saw the film ‘Dumplings’ at The Cornerhouse with Sha yesterday. The film also managed to put me off dumplings or, for that matter, any suspicious-looking Chinese food. Wait, I never used to eat suspicious-looking Chinese food anyway. For good reason, as this film shows us.
Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung) used to be a T.V. star (television, not transvestite) but now she’s getting older, and is worried about keeping her millionaire husband’s shifting attention. She hears about Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) and her miraculous dumplings that reverse the process of aging, so turns up to buy and eat some. Mei is her own best advertisement, as she says so herself, because despite being 20 years old in 1940 she still looks 30 max. And fit.
Unfortunately (mostly for the audience) the dumplings have a secret ingredient that’s abso-fuckin-lutley revolting. Go watch it if you have the bollocks of a gorilla. I only saw half the movie because of the chilling scenes, so I want my money back.
It’s a strong statement about the lengths people (women) will go to in order to stay young, and societal pressures, and blah-dee-blah, but that’s not why you’ll remember it. You’ll remember it for the secret ingredient that abso-fuckin-lutley disgusts you. Promise.