On Y List of Movie Reviews

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Yin shi nan nu (1994)

Rate: 9
Viewed: 9/12

EatM
9/12: Ang Lee proves in Yin shi nan nu, which is translated as Eat Drink Man Woman, why he's a good director.

Despite the marathon of cooked animals, it reminds me of Como agua para chocolate, a more superior film due to the perfect blend of food and love. The other one is like that, too, but on a somber note.

At the same time, great performances are rendered by everybody. The three sisters bring life to the subplots. They somewhat mesh them together as a whole with their father finishing it off with a bow tie. In a way, there's a suspenseful anticipation toward the end, and then comes out a twist that I didn't see coming.

It's amusing to notice the more cooking goes on, the better the film is, but nothing looks edible, no matter how colorful they are. Of course, that's the Taiwanese culture. Even funnier is every time one of the three sisters meets a man, she suddenly leaves the house. When the father comes to save the day at the restaurant, there's a Goodfellas-esque element about it, especially when Ray Liotta went the back way with Lorraine Bracco.

All in all, Eat Drink Man Woman is a sensually winning picture.