FRESH KILL
A film review by Max Hoffmann
Copyright 1994 Max Hoffmann
FRESH KILL USA 1994, 80 min Director: Shu Lea Cheang -- Producer: Cheang, Jennifer Fong Screenplay: Jessica Hagedorn -- Camera: Jane Castle Editor: Lauren Zuckerman Cast: Sarita Chaudhury, Erin McMurty, Laurie Carlos, Jose Zuniga Seen: at SF Film Festival, Kabuki Theatres, April 29th
Rating: Scale 1-10 (10 = highest) 8.5
A delightful, satirical romp that works on nearly every level, reminiscent of BUCKAROO BANZAI and LIQUID SKY. Raw fish lips have become the rage in trendy New York restaurants. Contaminated fish from Orchid Island (where nuclear waste is dumped, in real life) shows up, and the unwelcomed side effects begin. Yuppies begin speaking in tongues; pets glow in the dark and spontaneously combust. A lesbian couple (one of whom works in the restaurant) suspect that "something is up," and the trauma hits home when their daughter disappears.
The cast is a rainbow of racial and ethnic types. An East Indian has a native American Indian father. A Hispanic friend constantly recites passages from Lorca, an African American woman with a cable access show called "Ask Minny" speaks out about the global conspiracy by "GX" (who's logo and TV ad campaigns look suspiciously like "GE, we bring good things to light), the romantic male lead is a scrumptious Japanese-American actor (who deserves more, more screen time)....
Many attempts to build films around topical issues with "in your face" solutions have failed in the past. Somehow, director Shu Lea Cheang pulls it off with enviable finesse. The film is very low-budget, but Cheang leverages that effectively by deliberately using cheap, satirical sets and art direction. With highly "affordable" hardware (wire cable spools with shallow water filled aquariums fitted with fluorescent tubes) she creates just the right atmosphere in the chi chi toxic cafe. A hodge podge of thrift store items look like the kooky wardrobe these characters might actually wear in real life. By the way, a soundtrack should be made from Vernon Reid's compelling score.
The film is riddled with cameos by performance art fixtures like Ron Vawter, Karen Finley, Laurie Carlos and Robbie McCauley. NY's "Angels in America" director George C. Wolfe appears on one news segment as a distraught cat owner. (By the way, there are a couple of hilarious animated TV commercials, the "Eco Catfood" segment has to be seen to be believed.) The cast leads, filled with unknowns, are talented and sufficiently appealing to hold your attention throughout the endless antics.
The script is more than a bit disjointed, and through the first reel it's an effort to keep track of the large cast and their myriad connections with one another. But the film has many memorable, compelling images, and far more "moments" than the average Hollywood fare offers today. I suspect that Cheang is a far better director than screenwriter. Coupled with the right author, her possibolities are endless.
Definitely worth seeing, (though not a "must see"). Look for it to resurface in SF Bay area at the Roxie or the Red Vic. A probable future offering in the Facets video catalog, or maybe on cable's "USA Up All Night."
In the director's talk, Cheang revealed that "Kill" means stream in Dutch. She hoped to show how, globally speaking, we can't soil our own nest. What we put out, even on Orchid Island, eventually comes back to us. Cheang is a feisty, diminutive Chinese woman, with a fabulous "dykes on bikes" haircut. She unapologetically approached very conservative foundations for grant money and funding (including the spineless NEA) and managed to get it without question! They funded the project, even after having read the script, including Lesbian love scenes. (Maybe we should send her to PBS headquarters, where they just wet their pants over filming the sequel to "Tales of the City.") Cheang is living proof that many times, the best "man" for the job is a woman.
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