After reading a lot of film reviews, they are all talking about the topic of "keep youth forever". In fact, this is just the appearance of desire. The core of the film is still "unable to ask for". All horror and weirdness originate from the alienation of human beings. When the inner desire (love) cannot be satisfied, it begins to seek it from the outside (youth), and eventually both inside and outside become distorted, alienated, and demonized (cannibalism). The topic of "cannibalism" has become a symbol of human criticism since Lu Xun. What impressed me most in the movie was that Aunt Mei spoke eloquently and told Mr. Li about the history of "cannibalism", which reminded me of the clips in "Diary of a Madman" and "Medicine", and once again felt the greatness of Mr. Lu Xun. From the very beginning, Mrs. Li became disgusted by conditioned reflex and refused physically and psychologically, and gradually became a familiar and experienced eater, and finally even directly inherited the mantle of Aunt Mei. What's even more ironic is that Mr. Li finally caught up with Aunt Mei (don't be too good at acting in that passionate scene). For him, this 40-year-old 60-year-old woman seemed to have a magic power, and he was deeply attracted by this rejuvenating power. Aunt Mei said at the beginning that her body is the best live advertisement, and the shrewd Mr. Li must check the truth before he is willing to buy it.
The whole film is erotic, bloody and violent, but they are all wrapped up in the horror and weirdness brought about by this kind of distortion and alienation of human nature. The film's framing, tone, and soundtrack are also very elegant, especially when Mrs. Li finished eating the baby boy's steamed dumplings and heard that her husband's leg was injured, the radiant Mrs. Li showed a girl-like mood. The warmer it gets, the more it reflects the weird atmosphere.
To sum up, although this film has the shell of a Hong Kong horror film (karma, mainland discrimination, urban legend), but from the core of the film, it obviously cannot be classified as a classic Hong Kong-style horror film (such as 90 In the 1990s, the "Yin and Yang Road" series with the theme of karma, and the "Human Char Siu" series with the theme of bloody and violent urban legends), this may be attributed more to the original author Li Bihua.
From this movie, I became fascinated by Li Bihua's urban legend novels. Leaving aside patriotism, I thought that "Dumpling" should rank first in the "Three Watches" series.
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