Lately, I've been really disinterested in the prospect of watching American-made films. I think it has something to do with the limited talent pool. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of fantastic American actors (and fantastic American movies), but sometimes I want to watch a movie and NOT see the same svelte bodies and stretched, airbrushed faces over and over and over again.
Kinamand (Chinaman) is a Danish story about an uninspired working-man plumber named Keld (played by Bjarne Henriksen) whose fatigued wife (played by Charlotte Fich) ups and leaves him one day. The confused and mildly maladroit Keld starts frequenting the Chinese restaurant down the street and befriends the restaurant owner, Feng (Lin Kun Wu). Feng offers a solution to Keld's financial woes (a result of divorce expenses): marry Feng's younger sister, Ling (Vivian Wu), whose visa is expiring and must get married to stay in the country. In return, Feng will pay Keld a significant sum.
Kinamand is a really sweet story, without being saccharine, and the characters are totally believable (I suppose it helped that my Chinese-speaking roommate assured me of the legitimacy of their accents). I loved the fact that the characters were not black-and-white portrayals but rather, real human beings with shifting emotions and reactions. The strongest element of the film, however, is definitely the subtle intricacies of the characters' interactions. Honestly acted, beautifully filmed, extremely well-written. En stor nydelse!
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