Lucy Liu amazes in the gut-wrenching ‘Rosemead’
L.A., the City of Dreams, is proving a nightmare for a widowed Taiwanese immigrant and her schizophrenic son in the harrowing and fact-based “Rosemead.” It’s a stunner, too, marking the impressive debut of cinematographer-turned-director Eric Lin. But its main attraction is a never-better Lucy Liu acting the hell out of a script by Lin and Marilyn Fu that, for the most part, highlights the struggles not just of the mentally ill, but also friends and family heartbroken over their inability to help their loved one find peace.
Much like Pam Anderson in 2024’s “The Last Showgirl,” Liu seeks to shift the focus from her looks to legitimize her bona fide acting chops. She does not disappoint, completely disappearing into the role of a mother charging a hundred miles per hour toward an abyss from which there’s no escape. There was a time, as seen in brief flashbacks, when Irene (Liu) and her husband and son, Joe (Lawrence Shou), were on the verge of realizing the so-called American Dream. But then life happened and in a snap, heaven became hell.
The trigger was the sudden death of Joe’s dad, who one night clutched his chest before dropping like a rock to the bedroom floor. Irene, understandably, takes the loss hard, but it impacts Joe even more, with the suggestion that Dad’s death has intensified his ever-worsening condition. Meds help keep him just this side of the breaking point, but Mom and his one and only close friend, Jeannie (Madison Hu), can plainly see him slipping away.
The intent of calling attention to our nation’s utter lack of support for teens like Joe comes through loud and clear, as does the message that he’s not the only one suffering. So are the people who love him, particularly Irene, who could give Job a run for his money when it comes to shouldering burdens. Not only has she been widowed at a relatively young age, but she also must deal with single-handedly running the family’s print shop, not to mention helping Joe cope with his wild mood swings. Oh, yeah, and did I mention she’s battling Stage IV cancer, and that Joe is about to turn 18, the age when the law says he can dump his shrink (Orion Lee) as well as his meds without recourse?
If it weren’t based on a true story, you could accuse Lin of piling on. It might have played that way, too, if not for Liu’s superb performance. Speaking mostly in Mandarin and broken English, Liu quietly and gracefully enables us to feel Irene’s frustration with a culture and government system that’s completely foreign to her. The lack of empathy and understanding, particularly from the teachers and administrators at Joe’s school, is particularly daunting. So is being a single parent with a business to run and not nearly enough time to be where she’s needed most, at Joe’s side.
Shou matches Liu in earning your deepest compassion, taking us on an enlightening journey into what it’s like to live under the constant fear of snapping at any time, anywhere. And when one of those episodes occurs during class, watch out for the catty Karens quickly deeming Joe a “threat.” This leads me to my one major quibble with “Rosemead.” And that would be in the contradictoriness of telling us schizophrenics tend to be non-violent, while also consistently implying – through disturbing doodles and bizarre Internet searches – that Joe is plotting to shoot up his school. So, which is it, devil or angel? Heck, Joe doesn’t even own a gun.
Such missteps only draw attention to how invaluable Liu is to leaving you devastated by Irene’s final act of love and devotion. I cannot compliment her enough. And kudos to Fu and Lin for giving us a remarkable glimpse into the Rosemead section of L.A., a middle-class enclave largely populated by close-knit Chinese immigrants. You sit in admiration of how diligently the community, from shopkeepers to Jeannie and her mother, Kai-Li (Jennifer Lim), go out of their way to support Joe and Irene in the wake of their loss.
Ultimately, “Rosemead” is about the shameful failures of the city, state and federal governments to assist folks like Joe and Irene, who’ve been backed into a corner with no humane way out. In a nation as wealthy as ours, Irene should never have had to make the shocking choices she did. Indeed, a mind isn’t just a terrible thing to waste. It’s an equally terrible thing to ignore, as some bureaucrats so callously do here. Joe and no doubt thousands of kids like him deserve better.
Movie review
Rosemead
Rated: R for some language
Cast: Lucy Liu, Lawrence Shou, Orion Lee, Jennifer Lim and Madison Hu
Director: Eric Lin
Writers: Marilyn Fu and Eric Lin
Runtime: 97 minutes
Where: In theaters Jan. 9
Grade: B
