Dumplings (Gaau ji) (2004)

70% of users liked it
(5,713 ratings)

What first began as a short-form study in terror now expands to a full-fledged, feature-length fright fest as director Fruit Chan explores the high price that people are willing to pay for youth and beauty. Originally one third of the horror anthology Three...Extremes, Dumplings tells the tale of a… More What first began as a short-form study in terror now expands to a full-fledged, feature-length fright fest as director Fruit Chan explores the high price that people are willing to pay for youth and beauty. Originally one third of the horror anthology Three...Extremes, Dumplings tells the tale of a traditional Chinese dish infused with a disturbing, but rejuvenating twist. Mrs. Lee is a retired television star whose once-glamorous visage is slowly succumbing to the degenerative effects of time. Her career has ended and her husband is beginning to wander astray. Upon learning that a mysterious chef known as Aunt Mei (Bai Ling) has a secret recipe for dumplings that is rumored to turn back the clock and restore one's youthful appearance, the desperate former starlet contacts the cook in order to arrange a tasting. But these aren't your typical dumplings. In order to achieve the powerful effects that her clients demand, Aunt Mei has substituted the traditional pork for the meat of aborted fetuses. Impatient that the unique form of rejuvenation isn't working as fast as she had hoped, Mrs. Lee soon begins seeking out an even more potent recipe. Though the new and improved recipe does indeed give Mrs. Lee the results she has been longing for, an unexpected complication soon leads to some decidedly unusual side effects, and it's not long before Mrs. Lee's curious husband appears in the kitchen of the alluring Aunt Mei looking for answers. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Fruit Chan
Written By: Lilian Lee
Genres: Drama, Horror, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 20, 2004 Wide
Studio: Lionsgate Films

No Critic Reviews Found…

Featured Audience Ratings

Unknown H

Two pieces of advice to anyone who has not seen this movie - 1. Do not watch it when you are eating. 2. Do not watch it when you are pregnant. And as someone who watched it whilst both pregnant and eating, my third piece of advice would be to NEVER do the two together.
Wahida K

YES! A Bathory of 21 Century. Japanese Movies like these are very grusome, even the Low Budgets ones needs strong nerves to watch. Not excactly creepy, it is sick and disturbing.
Ross C

Ageing Hong Kong actress attempting to regain her beauty by eating a mysterious woman's special dumplings provides for a rather bad taste take of the age old tale of the search for eternal youth. Another extremely macabre shock flick with no real substance to it.
Ken S

So ridiculously disturbing...oh god...
Emily A

The best of the Three... Extremes, I find this movie so strangely endearing. It's considerably different than the short version, with a different ending and different character progression. I really like the way there was more exposition and nonchalance surrounding the dumpling… More
The best of the Three... Extremes, I find this movie so strangely endearing. It's considerably different than the short version, with a different ending and different character progression. I really like the way there was more exposition and nonchalance surrounding the dumpling filling, and the deeper insight into the Aunt Mei character. What I didn't like was the ending, and the greater incorporation of the mistress. I liked how the short version ending was more about the protagonist wanting her youth more than her husband, whereas this one was more about her growing to relish being cruel. I like the way the diet turned her into a monster, something lost in this version. Apart from that, this flick is delicious, if you'll pardon the pun.
Dean M

Strange, shocking and sicko tale of a trashy, former doctor who makes her special youth-renewing dumplings.
Kylie B

Makes you think about what you would do to be/stay young, slim and beautiful. A great shock film for the modern age, not only showing 'women's vanity', as some would put it, but the reason most become so obsessed - the love and attentions of men. And as in real life, it… More
Makes you think about what you would do to be/stay young, slim and beautiful. A great shock film for the modern age, not only showing 'women's vanity', as some would put it, but the reason most become so obsessed - the love and attentions of men. And as in real life, it shows how easily it is lost.
Brandon K

A few changes from the short version included in Three... Extremes, most notably the addition of a subplot between Aunt Mei and Mr. Li. The premise is incredibly creepy and while it's not actually scary or tense, it shows the extreme lengths people go to to keep their lovers.
Sylvester K

eerie, strange, stylish.
Jojo S

the film gives psychological elements of some grotesque beyond fear factor food ingredients while showing almost nothing. I love it when they do close-ups while amplifying the slurping sound of the actress eating the dumlings.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings

Cast

Miriam Yeung Chin Wah
as Li Qing
Ling Bai
as Mei
Tony Leung Ka Fai
as Li Sije

Wong Sum Yeung
as Old Hairdresser
Pauline Lau
as Li's Maid
Zabit Memedov
as Connie

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