Rewind: ‘Three… Extremes’ Review
Stars: Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah, Bai Ling, Lee Byung-hun, Kyōko Hasegawa | Directed by Fruit Chan, Park Chan-wook, Takashi Miike
In 2002, the horror anthology film Three was released, consisting of three horror tales from East Asian countries. The film received accolades and a sequel, which was released two-years-later in the form of Three… Extremes. The anthology follow-up collected three more horror tales from different directors, and was successful enough in the United States that its predecessor received a stateside release. Strangely enough, Three was repackaged to Western audiences as a sequel entitled Three… Extremes II.
Opening up this anthology is Dumplings, the Hong Kong entry from director Fruit Chan (Made in Hong Kong, Heart of Dragon). Arriving at a house is Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah), a formerly well-known actress who wishes to get dumplings sold by Mei (Bai Ling). They are considered the most expensive for a good reason, as the dumplings miraculously make the eater look younger.
A mystery lingers regarding what secret ingredient the dumplings contain, something which soon becomes clear in shocking fashion. When Mrs. Li makes the discovery, the knowledge of what she has been eating initially put her off the dumplings. This poses an interesting question regarding what we consume, as many of us still eat hamburgers despite seeing pictures and videos of the barbaric treatment cows receive. For Mrs. Li, this is the point where she weighs the results against her own morals. She cannot deny her new lease on life that the dumplings have provided, but it becomes clear that all is not well with this supposed miracle.
Also released in 2004 was a feature film version of Dumplings, complete with additional scenes and a different ending. As it stands, this segment is a lean and impactful tale about being careful what you wish for, and a reflection of the depths some take to hold onto their youth. What remains is a tale about societal obsession with age that has little fat on its bones.
The second segment is Cut, from Korean director Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, The Handmaiden). It opens on what resembles a single-take, as cameras are rolling on a film shoot for a vampire film, before there is finally a cut during a well-timed moment. Leaving the film set for the day, the director (Lee Byung-hun) arrives at a home whose interior strongly resembles the previously seen film set.
Reality and fiction blend together as the director recites lines from his film, utilizing them in his daily life. He may be physically off the set, but his mind remains focused on the film that he is making. Things take a horrifying turn when the director is attacked in his home, later awakening on the film set with his wife captive.
It turns out that the attacker works as an extra on the director’s films, and he wishes to prove that the seemingly nice director actually has a dark side to him. As the media shows how awful the rich can be, the extra wishes to enforce that to make himself feel better about being poor. It’s a fascinating look at how some wish to feel superior through taking shortcuts, avoiding the chance to become better people and grow as a result. What remains is the most captivating and tense short that is exceptionally crafted, while ensuring that nothing will be the same again for the director.
Rounding off this feature is Box, Japan’s segment from prolific director Takashi Miike (Audition, First Love). This story follows Kyoko (Kyōko Hasegawa), a 25-year-old novelist grappling with trauma from her childhood as a circus performer. This manifests in the form of nightmares, which includes the image of a box being buried under snowy conditions.
As the runtime moves further on, more is revealed about Kyoko’s past, with the vibrant imagery driving the narrative more than the dialogue. What Miike brings alive is a tale about grappling with guilt, the desire to feel parental love, and feeling incomplete without a loved one still in your life. Admittedly, the ending is an odd choice, although it is does not hamper the effective lead performance central to this tale.
Uniting three tales from visionary directors, Three… Extremes manages to be a strong anthology which roots its creepy horrors within effective character work and exceptional technical craft. It is a shame that we never got a third instalment, as the Three… trilogy is a prospect which sounds enticing.
