2019 | USA | Colour | 122′ | DCP
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Screenwriters: Jon Raymond, Kelly Reichardt
Cinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt
Cast: John Magaro, Orion Lee
In English with Chinese and English subtitles
2021 Best Film, Cahiers du Cinéma
Post-screening talk in Cantonese on 14th December at Hong Kong Film Archive
Speaker: Dr Derek Lam
The river of time flows silently, and tales buried along its banks are eventually unearthed. In the early 19th century American West, people ventured into the wilderness of mountains and forests, dreaming of sudden riches. A gentle, meticulous chef meets a sharp, resourceful Chinese labourer, and the two bond instantly, sharing hardships and forging a partnership. Exceling at baking pastries, the chef begins selling fresh oily cakes with the help of the Chinese, who possesses a keen business sense. However, their recipe requires milk, compelling them to steal it from the landowner’s milking cow under cover of night. This clandestine ingredient made their cakes legendary, drawing even the dairy owner’s attention. Would their secret be exposed? The acclaimed American independent filmmaker Kelly Reichardt revisits the desire-driven origins of the capitalist American dream through mouthwatering pastries, depicting a tender male friendship that subverts the rugged masculinity of traditional Westerns with understated warmth.
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Screenwriters: Jon Raymond, Kelly Reichardt
Cinematographer: Christopher Blauvelt
Cast: John Magaro, Orion Lee
In English with Chinese and English subtitles
2021 Best Film, Cahiers du Cinéma
Post-screening talk in Cantonese on 14th December at Hong Kong Film Archive
Speaker: Dr Derek Lam
The river of time flows silently, and tales buried along its banks are eventually unearthed. In the early 19th century American West, people ventured into the wilderness of mountains and forests, dreaming of sudden riches. A gentle, meticulous chef meets a sharp, resourceful Chinese labourer, and the two bond instantly, sharing hardships and forging a partnership. Exceling at baking pastries, the chef begins selling fresh oily cakes with the help of the Chinese, who possesses a keen business sense. However, their recipe requires milk, compelling them to steal it from the landowner’s milking cow under cover of night. This clandestine ingredient made their cakes legendary, drawing even the dairy owner’s attention. Would their secret be exposed? The acclaimed American independent filmmaker Kelly Reichardt revisits the desire-driven origins of the capitalist American dream through mouthwatering pastries, depicting a tender male friendship that subverts the rugged masculinity of traditional Westerns with understated warmth.