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MOVIE SUMMARY
Exploding a seemingly simple premise – a nameless “cowboy”
courier (Spencer Nakasako) arrives in pre-Handover Hong Kong to
deliver a mysterious briefcase to a mercurial Mob boss whilst
becoming entangled with his femme fatale mistress (Cora Miao) –
independent filmmaking legend Wayne Wang’s Life is Cheap… But Toilet
Paper is Expensive barrels through inspired genre deconstruction,
guerrilla docu-fiction and fierce political jeremiad, all with a
keen sense of humor and deeply rich visual palette.
Tracking the Man-with-no-name’s increasingly byzantine
mission across every level of the city’s social strata, we’re
introduced to fortune families, cabdrivers, hustlers, butchers and
more, each punctuating the high-octane Neo-noir narrative with
instantly memorable monologues that capture a now-distant era in
Hong Kong history. Multifaceted but never incoherent Life is Cheap…
But Toilet Paper is Expensive is among Wang’s most unique and
bracing contributions to the independent film cannon. Much-loved on
the international film festival circuit but unjustly overlooked in
North America, this is a maverick tour de force ripe for
rediscovery.
DISC FEATURES
- New 4K restoration of Wayne Wang’s final cut by Lightbox Film Center at University of the Arts in collaboration with University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
- New video interview with Wayne Wang
- New video interview with Wayne Wang and co-writer/co-director Spencer Nakasako
- Original chase sequence
- U.S. Theatrical Trailer
- New essay by Aliza Ma
REVIEWS “Director Wayne Wang's versatility has
never failed to impress.” - Matt Zoller Seitz, Rogerebert.com
“[I]ncredibly unique — and a reminder of how gloriously unhinged
late 20th-century independent cinema could be.” - Lee Jutton, Film
Inquiry “Wayne Wang’s Hong Kong Noir Dazzles In New Director’s Cut &
Restoration.” Kyle Turner, Playlist
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