Movie No. 53 (2015): EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN

Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)
Director: Ang Lee
Cast: Si-Hung Lung, Kuei-Mei Yang, Sylvia Chang, Chien-Lien Wu, Yu-Wen Wang
In Chinese/Mandarin, with English subtitles

Mr. Chu, a widower, is Taipei's best chef. But, due to his age, he's starting to 'lose his taste buds.' He has three grown-up daughters, all living in his house. The eldest, who is practically an old maid, is a chemistry teacher, a Christian, and is cynical about men after a failed relationship in the past. Daughter number two is a successful airline executive who has fixation on maintaining amorous relationships with men who can't commit. The youngest is a promiscuous college students who gets pregnant. 

Mr. Shu never fails to cook for Sunday dinner where everyone is required to be present. They don't talk much; food is their way to communicate. But important announcements always occur during Sunday dinner. It's in this way we get to know them. It's in this way they get to know the goings-on to each family member. I don't want to detail every event and scene, but all I have to say is that the movie cleverly and effectively used food and the dining table both as a common ground and battle ground. There's one funny scene in one of the dining gathering that makes the movie have a sharp turn leading to unexpected conclusion. 

The movie was the second movie by Ang Lee that got nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. During the preceding year, The Wedding Banquet was nominated, too. His third movie to be nominated was Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which eventually won the award in 2000.

Rating: 4.0/4.0

Date seen: October 2, 2015