Dim Sum Funeral (Anna Chai, 2008): Canada

Reviewed by Emelie Zahner. Viewed at the 2009 Santa Barbara Film Festival.

The director of Dim Sum Funeral, Anna Chi, made this film with a powerful lesson, ready to be taught. The film Dim Sum Funeral reaches out to both the younger and the older audience because it has a powerful meaning. This comedy/drama made me laugh a lot and I walked out with a smile on my lips, happy that I just have seen this film.

The movie is about love and death. A mother dies and the last wish she had was that her children could give her a traditional Chinese funeral. There are four siblings and they do not speak to each other, and they all live separate lives. None of them liked their mother and so they fought a lot during the childhood; later in life ,they didn’t speak to their mother just because of that. Even if the characters are very different, they are still the same. You get to follow their journey through this funeral as they get more emotionally involved with each other.

You should appreciate life and forgive and forget old things in the past, because life can suddenly take a wrong turn. The message of the movie is clear, it is about living life and appreciating what you have. It is energetic throughout and there is always something new to discover. Even if the movie has a powerful meaning, it still doesn’t lose its charm and comedy throughout the film. So it is a movie about love and family life that comes together in the genre of drama.

In this movie, Elizabeth (Julia Nickson-Soul), who is the oldest of the siblings, gives an outstanding performance. She takes her roel with serious attitude but at the same time she puts so much love into it, and this makes her stand out more than the other actors.

If you like movies that have a clear message and involve family love, I think this movie is something you should see. For me, this movie had a strong impact because it had a deep meaning to it. Family is something that is important, and I got touched when I saw their journey through the film.