Shower-MUST RENT!

by Lauren Gross
Staff Writer

A shower is a simple thing that many of us take for granted. In the sanctioned Chinese culture, a shower can represent the termination of traditions. The film Shower is a promising story that examines this end of heritage.

The title comes from a Beijing bathhouse where the patrons are as comfortable as the owner. Basically, the same men have been showing up for decades to have more than just a bath. The bathhouse is an ancient customary Mecca that has no desire for modernity.

Da Ming (Pu Cun Xin) is a well-to-do businessman who lives in a big city, where there are car washes made for people. He comes from a working class family built on honor and tradition. One day, Da Ming comes home after receiving a puzzling postcard from his mentally retarded brother Er Ming (Jiang Wu). Assuming that his father is sick, Da Ming returns to the family-run bathhouse to see that his father is perfectly well.

Once home, Da Ming feels somewhat out of place because he is the only thing that has changed. His father, Master Liu (Zhu Xu), has established a family of his own through the bathhouse. It has become a neighborhood place for health, cleanliness and relaxation. The men come loyally to soak in the tubs, get massages and share their personal stories. In the bathhouse, they are freed from any social or political chains.

Da Ming shuns the bathhouse and makes his point by taking a shower. Self-absorbed, he looks down on the life of his father and brother. Da Ming then makes a plan to leave. A series of events soon force Da Ming to face his heart and priorities.

Shower is a pleasing story about shedding the skin of superiority and coming to terms with ancestry. The father and son relationships are heartwarming and skillfully portrayed. Jiang Wu does a wondrous job portraying the thoughts and actions of the mentally handicapped. The supporting cast offers light humor and audience attachment throughout the film.

The visuals are an explanatory wonder allowing subtitles to be used merely as aids.

Shower has already picked up audience awards at film festivals all over the world. Director Zhang Yang is one of the pioneers of China's Underground Music Video scene, and Showeris his second feature length film. Yang brings Shower to date through narrative, humor and character development. The result is a work of passion.

This film is 92 minutes long. Rated PG-13, this film is an enjoyable vision. •Shower can be rented from Magic Video, 20 E. State St.