I would describe Durian Durian as a tale of two halves, with the first one being great while the second one is disorienting and confusing. The first half is about one universal truth: the hardship of immigration for young women. We get a peak into Qin's life as a prostitute. It's not pretty. It's harsh and ugly, but even though we don't know her exact motivations, we root for her, we want to know more about her, and we wish her well.
In the second half, however, we get to see Qin as more than an immigrant and a prostitute. We get to know about her desires and motivations, her family and friends, and her as a subject and not an object. However, something is missing during the second half. It feels lifeless, monotonous, and irrelevant as if the life Qin had when living in Hong Kong was sucked out of her.
My introduction to Fruit Chan's work is not a pleasant one. I would be more than happy to revisit his work in the future, but as of right now, I can say that at least this film wasn't my cup of tea.
In the second half, however, we get to see Qin as more than an immigrant and a prostitute. We get to know about her desires and motivations, her family and friends, and her as a subject and not an object. However, something is missing during the second half. It feels lifeless, monotonous, and irrelevant as if the life Qin had when living in Hong Kong was sucked out of her.
My introduction to Fruit Chan's work is not a pleasant one. I would be more than happy to revisit his work in the future, but as of right now, I can say that at least this film wasn't my cup of tea.