Film: The Dumpling Queen

The last of my inflight films coming back from Seoul, The Dumplin Queen had me at Hong Kong. Even better, it's based on a true story and I get to see a glimpse of 1970s HK.

Zang Jianhe leaves her home city to travel to Hong Kong with her two daughters to reconnect with her husband, only to discover he has remarried and wants both families to relocate to Thailand and live together under one roof. Zang Jianhe refuses, stays and raises her kids alone, which I imagine is no small feat anywhere in the world, let alone in the 1970s.

Living in one room in a building resembling a hostel, owned by a formidable but friendly woman and who seemingly takes in people that society has left behind. The film doesn't shy away from the hardships, but what stays with me is the kindness of strangers consistently outweighing the struggle.

The internet tells me this is based on the story of Chong Kin-wo, who founded the Wanchai Ferry Peking Dumpling Company in the early 1970s and today it is owned by General Mills of the USA.

8/10