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Mrs Lee (Miriam Yeung Chin Wah) is a Hong Kong-tv-star from yesteryear, whose
rich husband (Tony Leung Ka Fai) has long lost interest in her, instead has a
younger mistress (Pauline Lau) & makes little efforts to hide it.
In desperation, Mrs Lee turns to Auntie Mei (Bai Ling) , a mystic woman from
Mainland China serving unique dumplings that are guaranteed to make one look
younger. & even though Auntie Mei scares & annoys her at the same time,
Mrs Lee comes ever more often, each time demanding something stronger ... even
though Auntie Mei drops some definite hints that her dumplings might be made
from human fetuses. After a time, Mrs Lee really needs the strongest stuff, but
that needs an ingredients that according to Auntie Mei is really hard to find -
a 5 months old fetus. Mrs Lee is lucky though, since soon a 15-year old girl
shows up at Auntie's doorstep, & she was impregnated by her own father (!),
is in her fifth month & wants an (illegal & hushed up) abortion -
something Auntie Mei performs on the side.
When Mrs Lee is awaiting her dumplings at Auntie's place, she decides to
sneak inbto the kitchen to learn what they are really made of ... & uis
shocked to see that Auntie mei is indeed using a fetus. Disgusted she runs off,
only to stand on Auntie's doorstep again, only minutes later, & having
overcome her disgust, she even starts to like her fetus-dumplings.
... & they work too, since Mrs Lee soon looks years younger & easily
seduces her husband again - something she hasn't succeeded in in years. But
then the girl Auntie Mei has performed the abortion on dies, & as a result
Mrs Lee starts to stink. In despair, Mrs Lee calls Auntie, but Auntie knows no
advice other than to take a bath & tries to drop her annoying customer ...
but her husband listens in on the phonecall & decides to pay Aunite Mei a
visit as well to regain his youth ... & not only that, he soon embarks on a
sexual relationship with Auntie, who despite being way past 60 looks no older
than 30.
However, when the mother of the girl that died because of Auntie's abortion
tries to kill her husband, the police gets wise of the whole thing & soon
gets a trail leading to Auntie, who has to leave for the mainland in rather a
hurry, leaving Mrs Lee, who still needs Auntie's dumplings for retaining her
youth, with nowhere to turn to ... except for her hubby's former mistress, who
is pregnant in her fifth month & whonm she persuades to an abortion, only
tzo keep the fetus for herself ... as ingredients.
This movie, the Hong Kong part of the Three ... Extremes-trilogy,
performs the incredible feat to blend rural folktales with urban lifestyle, a
tasteless story with tasteful direction, gross-out horror with
intelligent social satire, all boiled into a tasty stew (or dumpling ?) that is
greatly helped by good storytelling & interesting characters brought to
life by competent performances.
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