If cinematically, the Wachowskis, Quentin Tarantino and Stanley Kubrick were to have a love child, this would be it! The Matrix meets Cloud Atlas meets Kill Bill meets 2001. Yes this film is highly derivative, but it makes no attempt to disguise it as it mishmashes a number of genres together in a high-octane psycho-philosophy fantasy that is also a morality tale. It is at the same time highly original. The format and many of the ideas are very Asian but the context, visualisation and narrative arc are Western. All very postmodern! I liked it.
To enter into watching this film unprepared would leave many viewers confused and numb. I felt I would number among them if I didn't do a little research before diving in. I'm glad I did as this is one film where knowing something of the plot before you watch enhances the viewing experience - at least it did for me. I reveal some of the plot below - but with this film, I really don't think it matters!
I'm not sure where to start. There are some very good acting performances here. For me the stand out was from Jamie Lee Curtis who played her 'dominating female in charge' role to chilling perfection as an IRS Tax Agent. A masterstroke was for her desk to contain a number of Employee of the Month awards in the shape of butt plugs. A wonderful comment on the necessary evil of tax gathering regimes worldwide.
The central character Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), is having a midlife crisis in the midst of an IRS audit whilst her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan), is desperately trying to get her attention for a simple conversation, her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) is in a committed same sex relationship with Becky (Tallie Medel) which risks upsetting Evelyn's father Gong Gong (James Hong) and spoiling the upcoming Chinese New Year Party for family and customers at the Laundromat they run. The dialogue is fast and furious, as is the action.
If all of this wasn't complicated enough, the story is told across a multiverse where each character exists in parallel dimensions created by the options and choices they face in their lives. Consequently, there is a lot of jumping between different parallel universes and differing expressions of the same characters within those universes in a titanic battle of good over evil. Evelyn is battling for good and has to make completely unpredictable choices, which is what she usually does anyway, as she flips between universes taking on the manifestation of evil in her daughter, who has created the everything bagel with everything on it, which has become a quantum singularity pulling everything into its gravitational field. All pretty non-routine stuff! I felt at home in the multiverse of this film as it reflected pretty well what is going on inside my head most of the time!
There is a lot of psychology, of varying traditions, in this film along with Freudian explorations of sexual fantasy, S & M and dominatrix scenes involving fingers that are hot dogs filled with American mustard! There is a lot of Kung Fu fighting and violence in the style of Kill Bill and The Matrix - all beautifully choreographed and fantasised. As I said - non-routine.
If you can navigate your way through this cosmos of confusion, you might get to enjoy many of the comedic moments which manifest themselves when often least expected. What the film does offer is a story where courage, doubt, sacrifice and love all feature prominently. If you are looking for a postmodern retelling of the Gospel with a female Saviour, this film may just be for you. The film invites us to reflect on our motivation for the choices we make in life and the possible consequences, both intended and unintended that arise. It also invites reflection on our relationships and how we invest in them and maintain them. As I said, I liked it. I'll give it 8/10.
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