Master Cheng
classified PG SPlease note: This was screened in March 2022
Veteran Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki’s (The Liar) quiet, tender, lyrical film explores the possibilities of making new connections in far-off places.
When Master Cheng (Pak Hon Chu) arrives in a remote Finnish village with his young son Nunjo (Lucas Hsuan), he’s in search of someone he used to know in Shanghai. Unable to help find his friend, café owner Sirkka (Anna-Maija Tuokka) offers him accommodation instead, and in return Cheng helps her in the kitchen. Delighting her initially sceptical customers with his delicious Chinese cuisine, he becomes a celebrated part of the community; and when his tourist visa runs out, the villagers seek to make a plan so he can stay.
Part drolly humorous comedy, part quietly unassuming romance, Master Cheng is a charming tribute to the value of opening yourself up to the unfamiliar.