By Goh Ming Siu
Fade up on a mountain of rocks in a quarry — raw material for construction, for literal nation-building, yet mining also destabilizes the land. The shot tracks along, as we hear a distant rumble – is it a storm on the horizon, far-off construction, or something more ominous? The camera comes to rest on an empty frame. The protagonist, Lim Cheng Soon (Peter Yu) and his brother Cheng Boon (Johnson Choo) rise from below, where they’ve been digging for rocks, up into frame.
An opening that encapsulates a film where everything important is operating under the surface, a film that needs one to excavate it for a meaningful experience. Hemingway-esque in its sparseness but also in its hidden richness and depth, much like the films of Edward Yang. We think we know what’s going to happen, because we’re familiar with the tropes. Yet at every turn,...
Fade up on a mountain of rocks in a quarry — raw material for construction, for literal nation-building, yet mining also destabilizes the land. The shot tracks along, as we hear a distant rumble – is it a storm on the horizon, far-off construction, or something more ominous? The camera comes to rest on an empty frame. The protagonist, Lim Cheng Soon (Peter Yu) and his brother Cheng Boon (Johnson Choo) rise from below, where they’ve been digging for rocks, up into frame.
An opening that encapsulates a film where everything important is operating under the surface, a film that needs one to excavate it for a meaningful experience. Hemingway-esque in its sparseness but also in its hidden richness and depth, much like the films of Edward Yang. We think we know what’s going to happen, because we’re familiar with the tropes. Yet at every turn,...
- 11/16/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
By Goh Ming Siu
Fade up on a mountain of rocks in a quarry — raw material for construction, for literal nation-building, yet mining also destabilizes the land. The shot tracks along, as we hear a distant rumble – is it a storm on the horizon, far-off construction, or something more ominous? The camera comes to rest on an empty frame. The protagonist, Lim Cheng Soon (Peter Yu) and his brother Cheng Boon (Johnson Choo) rise from below, where they've been digging for rocks, up into frame.
An opening that encapsulates a film where everything important is operating under the surface, a film that needs one to excavate it for a meaningful experience. Hemingway-esque in its sparseness but also in its hidden richness and depth, much like the films of Edward Yang. We think we know what's going to happen, because we're familiar with the tropes. Yet at every turn, we're...
Fade up on a mountain of rocks in a quarry — raw material for construction, for literal nation-building, yet mining also destabilizes the land. The shot tracks along, as we hear a distant rumble – is it a storm on the horizon, far-off construction, or something more ominous? The camera comes to rest on an empty frame. The protagonist, Lim Cheng Soon (Peter Yu) and his brother Cheng Boon (Johnson Choo) rise from below, where they've been digging for rocks, up into frame.
An opening that encapsulates a film where everything important is operating under the surface, a film that needs one to excavate it for a meaningful experience. Hemingway-esque in its sparseness but also in its hidden richness and depth, much like the films of Edward Yang. We think we know what's going to happen, because we're familiar with the tropes. Yet at every turn, we're...
- 1/3/2024
- by Guest Writer
- AsianMoviePulse
Originally planned for 2020 but pushed to 2021 due to the pandemic, “Snakehead” is a passion project based in New York’s Chinatown, and it’s worth taking note.
Dazzler Media presents this powerful crime drama, inspired by true events, coming to DVD and Download-to-Own from August 1, 2022.
on Amazon
Directed by Evan Leong and originally financed because of a Kickstarter campaign, “Snakehead” is the director’s first feature film. The story entails a Chinese immigrant coming to New York to find her daughter, and is inspired by true events, even though the story is fictional. The film is based in New York’s Chinatown, featuring Shuya Chang as anti-hero Sister Tse, Jade Wu as underground Chinatown boss Dai Mah and Sung Kang, known for his roles in the Fast & Furious franchise, as the troublesome son of Dai Mah, Rambo.
Director Evan Leong said that this film is about humanizing the immigrant experience,...
Dazzler Media presents this powerful crime drama, inspired by true events, coming to DVD and Download-to-Own from August 1, 2022.
on Amazon
Directed by Evan Leong and originally financed because of a Kickstarter campaign, “Snakehead” is the director’s first feature film. The story entails a Chinese immigrant coming to New York to find her daughter, and is inspired by true events, even though the story is fictional. The film is based in New York’s Chinatown, featuring Shuya Chang as anti-hero Sister Tse, Jade Wu as underground Chinatown boss Dai Mah and Sung Kang, known for his roles in the Fast & Furious franchise, as the troublesome son of Dai Mah, Rambo.
Director Evan Leong said that this film is about humanizing the immigrant experience,...
- 6/23/2022
- by Reinier Brands
- AsianMoviePulse
The familiar story of a new recruit rising through the ranks of organized crime is given a punchy female Asian twist in “Snakehead.” , this first narrative feature by documentary maker Evan Jackson Leong (“Linsanity”) is highlighted by outstanding performances by Shuya Chang as the fearless newbie and Jade Wu as the matriarch of a family specializing in the nasty business of human smuggling. Though it switches tone abrasively at times, and some story aspects feel a little too formulaic, “Snakehead” burns brightly when focused on the Faustian relationship of its formidable female characters. The future looks promising for Leong’s long-gestating labor of love, which opens in theaters and online on Oct. 29 following its major launch at Toronto.
“Snakehead” opens with a sobering statement about the scale of illegal immigration and how human traffickers known as Snakeheads charge $50,000 for passage to the U.S. The first words we hear are...
“Snakehead” opens with a sobering statement about the scale of illegal immigration and how human traffickers known as Snakeheads charge $50,000 for passage to the U.S. The first words we hear are...
- 9/23/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
Originally planned for 2020 but pushed to 2021 due to the pandemic, “Snakehead” is a passion project based in New York’s Chinatown, and it’s worth taking note of.
“Snakehead” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Directed by Evan Leong and originally financed because of a Kickstarter campaign, “Snakehead” is the director’s first feature film. The story entails a Chinese immigrant coming to New York to find her daughter, and is inspired by true events, even though the story is fictional. The film is based in New York’s Chinatown, featuring Shuya Chang as anti-hero Sister Tse, Jade Wu as underground Chinatown boss Dai Mah and Sung Kang, known for his roles in the Fast & Furious franchise, as the troublesome son of Dai Mah, Rambo.
Director Evan Leong said that this film is about humanizing the immigrant experience, and the movie showcases this in a really intriguing way.
“Snakehead” is screening at New York Asian Film Festival
Directed by Evan Leong and originally financed because of a Kickstarter campaign, “Snakehead” is the director’s first feature film. The story entails a Chinese immigrant coming to New York to find her daughter, and is inspired by true events, even though the story is fictional. The film is based in New York’s Chinatown, featuring Shuya Chang as anti-hero Sister Tse, Jade Wu as underground Chinatown boss Dai Mah and Sung Kang, known for his roles in the Fast & Furious franchise, as the troublesome son of Dai Mah, Rambo.
Director Evan Leong said that this film is about humanizing the immigrant experience, and the movie showcases this in a really intriguing way.
- 8/22/2021
- by Reinier Brands
- AsianMoviePulse
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