It
sounds exotic, but Hope & Crosby never traveled like Lianqing and Guo. The
Burmese migrants will pay stiff fees and endure rough conditions, just so they
can work like dogs in Bangkok. Things ought to be easier if they stick
together, but it might not necessarily work out that way in Midi Z’s The Road to Mandalay (trailer here), which screens
during this year’s New York Asian Film Festival.
Upon
arriving in Bangkok, Lianqing gets a surprisingly frosty reception from her
cousin. It seems the embittered Hua has recently lost her job due to lack of proper
documentation and expects Lianqing will fare even worse. The only people to
show her any kindness are their other roommate Cai and Guo, who took her place
in the trunk during the arduous trek over the border. Although awkward, he is
clearly determined to romantically pursue her—and she cannot deny his work
ethic.
Unfortunately,
they have different medium-term goals. She wants to attain Thai citizenship (or
at least a passable facsimile) so she can ultimately work in Taiwan, whereas he
would like to open a clothes-hawking stall in Bangkok. The more circumstance
force them together, the more their conflicting goals cause tension in their
relationship.
Probably
no filmmaker has been more proactive documenting the experiences of refugees,
migrant workers, and the generally dispossessed than Z has, in both his
documentaries and narrative films. His star ought to be sky-rocketing right now,
but the Taiwan-based Burmese expat has focused on his countrymen and other
ethnic minorities in China. The sad truth is the world does not care about
Buddhist immigrants from Burma. The professionally compassionate can only be
bothered with Muslim immigrants, preferably from Syria. The Burmese need not
apply.
Indeed,
that is the reception that waits for Lianqing in Thailand. Of course, Bangkok
being Bangkok, the threat of sexual exploitation always lurks in the
background. Perhaps it is intended as a symbolic interlude, but when the film
finally descends into the world of prostitution, it becomes bizarrely
disturbing, in a way viewers will never expect.
Without
question, Road is the most muscular
and focused narrative of Z’s career. As usual, his regular muse Wu Ke-xi is
absolutely arresting as the innocent-but-tougher-than-she-looks Lianqing. In a
drastic change of pace, Tiny Times co-star
Kai Ko plays the confused and brooding Guo, wearing his heart and his
resentments on his sleeve. He and Wu convincingly show us the couple’s good
days and bad.
