106. Master Cheng (Mestari Cheng) movie review

 

MASTER CHENG (MESTARI CHENG)

Cert PG

113 mins

BBFC advice: Contains mild bad language

Not since Juliette Binoche in Chocolat has food been as beguiling in a movie but I reckon Master Cheng has even more going for it than the French classic.

That's because there is a more intriguing back story and the scenery in Lapland is used to beautiful effect.

Mika Kaurismäki's film stars Pak Hon Chu stars as the title character who arrives with his son (Lucas Hsuan) at a cafe in remote Finland asking for 'Fongtron'.

Neither the cafe owner (Anna-Maija Tuokko) nor its few clients can offer any help but she does offer them a basic place to stay while they mull over their next move.

A day or so later, a party of Chinese tourists arrives and turn their noses up at the cafe's primitive Finnish cuisine.

Cheng saves the day by offering to cook them food which he knows they will enjoy.

Yes, it turns out he is a professional cook from Shanghai and pretty soon his food is filling bellies, sparking romance and even healing the sceptical locals.

As he becomes more settled, we find out more about the mysterious chef and those around him also open up.

Chu executes a smartly drawn character with great guile, portraying a humble man who understands his own failings but sees the best in humanity.

Tuokko's cafe owner is less complicated but is gradually drawn to a man who shows her different ways of viewing herself and those around her.

I was also rather taken with Kari Väänänen as a curmudgeonly terminally-ill customer who initially turns his nose up at the new Chinese food only to be brought around to its powers and those of its cook.

Some will say that Master Cheng is too slow but, as chaos ensues all around us, there is a need for contemplation as well as a recognition that there is also good in the world.

Kaurismäki's is a genuine pick-me-up - and there are belly laughs to boot.

Reasons to watch: Gentle but beguiling

Reasons to avoid: Some will find it too slow

Laughs: Four

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Bare bums

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Chinese people in Finland form one of the largest immigrant groups in Finland. As of 2018 there were 12,407 speakers of Chinese in Finland. About 60% of them reside in the Capital Region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen). As of 2018 there were 9,230 Chinese citizens living in Finland.

The final word. Mika Kaurismäki: "At a time when powerful dictators are trying to divide the world, I wanted to make a film that would bring people back together. Globalisation is the topic of the hour and often leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. In a way, MASTER CHENG is also a film about globalisation - but in a positive sense: A chance encounter between two ordinary people from different cultures who mutually enrich and appreciate each other and their environment, reflects the actual spirit of globalisation."

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