Buddha and body: A scene from Dim Sum Funeral.Family Ties
By Carlin Nguyen
You know it is no traditional Chinese funeral when the siblings in the family don’t know much about their own culture. Meet: oldest sister Elizabeth (Julia Nickson) who’s a sad-stricken mother who’s marriage is at a dismal, her brother, Alexander (Russell Wong), a Manhattan dermatologist who has troubles keeping faith between wife and other women; the middle daughter, Victoria (Francoise Yip), a bitter real estate broker; and youngest daughter, Meimei (Steph Song), a martial arts actress wanting to have a baby with her lesbian lover (Bai Ling).
When the siblings get word that their not-so-dearing mother has passed, many find the news shocking. It’s only until they all arrive at the family home to see that the mother’s caretaker, Viola (Talia Shire), is being asked to fulfill one more wish from the deceased mother -- a traditional Chinese funeral -- many of the siblings find it hard to grasp what is going on. Their relationship with their mother wasn’t the best. But as the story progresses, we notice that the siblings have an intangible relationship with each other – caring and strong.
Directed by Anna Chi, Dim Sum Funeral is a movie about setting aside all problems and bringing back a family all in the same place.
