Chu Pak Hong, Anna-Maija Tuokko, Kari Väänänen, Lucas Hsuan
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 cooking, 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 tribute to the value of opening yourself up to the unfamiliar, set in an oddball world of thoughtful, diffident yet very engaging characters who are all slightly haunted by their pasts. It’s also beautifully shot by Jari Mutikainen, whose camera appealingly depicts both Finland’s idyllic countryside and Cheng’s mouthwatering creations.