| Shower |
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| 1/2 |
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| Rating: Mixed Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics MPAA Rating: PG-13 Genre: Foreign Comedy In Cantonese/Mandarin with Subtitles Release Date: July 14th, 2000 (limited) Running Length: 1 hour, 34 minutes Director: Zhang Yang Cast: Zhu Xu, Pu Cun Xin, and Jiang Wu. |
| Plot: Da Ming is a successful business man who is lurred by a letter from his mentally disabled brother Erming to visit him and his father at their bathhouse. At first he is reluctant to stay more than a few days as he doesn't know how to relate to his father or his brother. He attempts to be kind, but he cannot really be kind until he learns to respect them both for who they are. At the bathhouse Da Ming meets many unique and interesting regular visitors, mostly elderly men. One man loves to sing in the shower, but has trouble singing in public, another is impotent and is struggling with his wife. In the end their problems are resolved to a certain extent. |
| Critique: Shower has a lot of entertaining warm hearted moments, however they cannot overcome the cold, unemotional acting. Shower has a lot going for it. It is slow, but that really isn't its downfall. The storyline has a natural, kindness to it, even though the actors often struggle to give the storyline any feeling. Zhang Yang displays a relatively solid grasp on direction, but fails to smooth out the story. Thus, Shower feels like a bunch of different moments strung together, not one long flowing piece. Also, mostly because of the actors, not the script the characters don't feel well developed. They seem somewhat static. The father and disabled brother have some development, but the main character older brother Da Ming doesn't have enough pronounced characteristics to form a real human being. Still, the script is likable, and gives us some nice interactions even if the delivery needs work. Shower goes straight for your heart, and almost succeeds. The cinematography isn't exactly daring, but it is well done. Most of the story takes place in the bathhouse, which is actually kind of nice. It gives us a sort of comfortable home place in which the script can flourish. In conclusion, Shower means well, and is well written, but acted without emotions. review by supernothingman |