ROSEMEAD
Starring: Lucy Liu, Lawrence Shou, Orion Lee, Jennifer Lim, Madison Hu, and James Chen
Director: Eric Lin
AMARÚ
I’ve never experienced a movie tackling its issues in the way Rosemead does. There’s a quiet intensity built on love and understanding that helps build a realistic urgency when the film’s conflicts get more serious. There’s no sensationalization or hyperbolic emphasis on Joe’s (Lawrence Shou) mental health battle, just a compassionate relationship between him and his mother (a tremendous Lucy Liu). I had no idea where this movie was going to go, or how it was going to end, and it made me appreciate the story, characters, writing, and performances that much more for its deep, complicated, humanistic approach.
KATIE
Rosemead presents an unflinching look at the lives of Irene, played by the incredible Lucy Liu, and her 17-year-old son Joe (Lawrence Shou). Amid worsening mental illness, a cancer diagnosis, and inconceivable grief, I didn’t find it sad so much as depressingly bleak. However, the film engages empathetically with Joe’s struggles and the circumstances that can lead someone to commit acts of unthinkable violence, and it doesn’t assign blame or justify anyone’s actions. Instead, it explores Irene and Joe’s moving relationship and how their community’s perception of mental illness impacts them.
ADRIANO
Nothing about Rosemead’s presentation did anything for me, almost to a fault, outside of Lucy Liu’s mesmerizing performance. Yet, I find myself reflecting on the substance it provides as it refuses to give an easy answer to some ideas that are simply too tough. It lags way too often in the process, but it’s emotionally gripping and devastating in its portrayal of mental health and the way that contributes to violence. Melodramatic? Maybe. But it’s a worthwhile (if not difficult to watch) experience, and any film that leaves even the smallest impact is a success, and this left a solid impact.
