Director: Fruit Chan, HK, 18, 91min
Stars: Ling Bai, Pauline Lau, Tony Leung Ka Fai
On general release
In a society where youth and beauty are the closest things you’ll find to priceless commodities, it’s extraordinary what lengths a woman will go to in order to halt the inevitable sag and flab of age. Chan’s macabre horror/satire on the beauty industry tempts Hong Kong high society with little parcels of hope that promise the peachy skin of a teen. The problem is the dumplings’ secret ingredient — even the most adventurous dim sum fan might find them a little hard to swallow. But the enigmatic Aunt Mei (an excellent Ling Bai) never forces anyone to take her youth elixir, and she has a steady stream of customers ready to trade their consciences for a pert pair of buttocks. The humour is tar black, the cinematography (by the celebrated director of photography Chris Doyle) paints the run-down Mongkok tenements in oily greens and neon reds. The ghoulish humour won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the recipe should work for those with strong stomachs.
WENDY IDE