Country: Malaysia
Year: 2004
Duration: 113'
Teoh has bought a second-hand washing
machine which turns itself on and off whenever it wants, as though it
had a life of its own. When the feminine soul hiding within the
appliance wakes up, Teoh begins to exploit it for every household chore,
and even rents it to strangers. One of these people, the old widower
Wong, welcomes it into his home, to the enthusiasm of his son and the
diffidence of his daughter.
"In this film, the protagonist, the woman from the washing machine is
liberated from her machine but is then trapped still in the grips of men
young and old, loving and cruel. We see the family unit disintegrating
and the machine unable to wash the debris of the broken heart. Thus,
using the washing machine as a metaphor for gender prison, this film
attempts to show how the protagonist is liberated from this domestic
convention and chaos, and ultimately from the shackles of modern love
and the patriarchy of the middle class." (J. Lee)
Biography
film director
James Lee
James Lee (Ipoh, Malaysia, 1973) studied graphic design and later dedicated himself to theatrical acting and directing. In 2001, he shot his first feature film, Snipers, followed that same year by Ah Beng Returns. After founding the production company Doghouse73, in 2003 he produced the documentary The Big Durian by Amir Muhammad. In 2005 he won the award for Best Asian Film and the FIPRESCI Award at the Bangkok International Film Festival with The Beautiful Washing Machine and a special mention at the Oberhausen Festival with the short A Moment of Love. In 2007 he received his second award for Best Asian Film at the Bangkok Festival with the film Before We Fall in Love Again.
FILMOGRAFIA
filmografia essenziale/essential filmography
Ah Yu’s Story (cm, 1999), Survivor (cm, 1999), Snipers (2001), Ah Beng Returns (2001), You fang chu zu (Room to Let, 2002), Mei li de xi yi ji (The Beautiful Washing Machine, 2004), Mei you ai re je (Goodbye to Love, cm, 2004), A Moment of Love (cm, 2005), Nian ni ru xi (Before We Fall in Love Again, 2006), Things We Do When We Fall in Love (2007), Waiting for Love (2007), Histeria (2008), Call If You Need Me (2009).