SYNOPSIS:
Lotus
Huang (RACE WONG), a Mainland Chinese woman, for the sake
of gaining residency in Hong Kong, “sold” her
womb to a Hong Kong man by marrying him. Unfortunately, he
died in an accident. She came to Hong Kong, hoping to get
give birth there, so that she can gain residency, a home as
well as government aid. During which, she met Lau (ANTHONY
WONG), an insurance agent…
Prostitute,
Chong (PRUDENCE LAU) has a mouth full of decaying teeth. She
has to resort to selling her body to satisfy her drug addiction.
One day, she saved a young boy, thus catching the attention
of a photographer, Zhi (SAMMY LEUNG), changing her fate…
Both
women struggle to survive in the society. A story that tells
the fate of those who sell their womb and those who sell their
body.
MOVIE REVIEW:
We know what you are thinking: This male reviewer must have requested to review this Herman Yau directed film which never made it to the theatres in Singapore. And why is that so? Because the Mandarin title of this picture literally translates to "Sex Workers 2: I Do Not Sell My Body, I Sell My Uterus" Yes, anyone would think that there would be plenty of saucy action in the movie, and enjoying them in the privacy of one’s own room? Let’s not go even go there. But if this columnist could defend himself, he is purely watching it for lead actress Prudence Lau’s award winning performance. Please believe him.
Lau plays a drug addict who earns her living prostituting herself on the streets. And while every girl has her dream, this one has hers too – she wishes to fix her hideous decaying teeth. Singapore’s very own Race Wong (one half of the girl group 2R with sister Rosanne Wong) plays a young pregnant woman from China who marries an older man for the sake of getting a Hong Kong residency status. Joined by Anthony Wong’s kind hearted insurance agent and Sammy Leung’s righteous photographer, this is essentially a film about Hong Kong and its underbelly.
While some filmmakers choose to showcase the prettiest sights of their countries, Yau focuses on the realities of life which are signature Hong Kong culture. One very interesting aspect is how Lau’s prostitute (affectionately known as a 'chicken' in Chinese) worships dead chickens at a makeshift roadside altar. If viewers are in the know, they would know that countless chickens were culled during the avian flu. The social analogy here is brilliant, we must say. And Lau’s affecting performance is one that voters love, hence her Best Actress award at the 45th Golden Horse Awards. Although Wong’s loud character pales in comparison, she still makes an impression, making viewers feel for her dilemma as a struggling mother.
The guys fare well too in this low budgeted production. Veteran actor Wong is, well, comfortable in every role he takes on, while Leung manages to engage audiences with his very likeable character.
Given the capable cast, there is really no need for fancy camerawork of big budgeted scene setups in this 89 minute movie. And Yau knows this well – without flashy gimmicks, he tells a story that is engaging and relevant. Sure, it is nothing very breathtaking when it comes to plot development, but the moment we care for the characters, you know the movie has done its job.
So there, you surely would have believed by now that this reviewer wasn’t watching this movie for its potentially titillating sex scenes, right?
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features on this Code 3 DVD.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There isn’t much to complain about the movie’s visual transfer, and credit goes to the distributors for selling this DVD with its original Cantonese soundtrack.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING:
Review by John Li
Posted on 15 November 2009
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