“Rosemead” viewing is not for the faint-hearted. Inspired by a true story, this film follows a mother, Irene (Lucy Liu), and her all-encompassing love for her son, Joe (Lawrence Shou), who is a diagnosed schizophrenic high schooler. Both have suffered tremendous loss and the losses mount throughout the short, but riveting movie. Irene’s uncertainty and shame lead her down a path most parents couldn’t, wouldn’t, fathom.
Stigma and shame
Directed by Eric Lin (his first feature film, in fact), “Rosemead” is a melancholic tale that begins and ends with a happy memory, tainted now with bloodshed. Irene is ill with cancer and hiding it from Joe, who is struggling with grief over his dad’s death and managing his schizophrenia. Irene’s outright refusal to face things head-on and make hard decisions when it comes to her health and her son end up making things so much worse.
There’s a deep shame in how she avoids talking about her problems with her friends, hides her face, lashes out at her son’s therapist, Dr. Hsu (James Chen). “Just because you have a Chinese face doesn’t mean you understand us,” she says to him. This woman would rather bear the weight of everything alone than share with anyone what she’s truly going through; it would embarrass her too much. It’s almost physically painful witnessing her exacerbate an already-bad situation with her avoidance.
Complete collapse of mental health
Meanwhile, poor Joe, on the verge of his 18th birthday, is suffering from distressing memories, auditory hallucinations, and an increasing inability to function normally. His friends are noticing his behavior, but still his mother babies him, coddles him right into police custody.
Shou’s performance as Joe can come across a little hamfisted at times, but when it hits a fever pitch, it’s crucial to establish what this kid is going through. Like the scene where he melts down in his school’s hallway while his crush, Jeannie (Madison Hu), watches; it’s desperately sad and unsettling to watch. The ominous school shooter vibes that follow Joe around are heavy and almost every character that spends time in his presence can sense it, even if they can’t name it.
A pivotal performance for Liu
Liu’s performance, not to be distracted by her somewhat askew wig at times, is astounding. There are moments where the camera just rests on her heartbroken, downtrodden face and it holds you there for a while. She’s almost never speaking in these moments, but they’re powerful nonetheless. Her guttural, near-animalistic shrieks of maternal grief rip through your ears in a way that stains you on the inside. It’s really beautiful how Liu poured so much emotion into this defeated mother.
Final thoughts
“Rosemead” is going to be a hard watch for most people, but especially for mothers. If you felt that you had no choice, could you do the unthinkable? If you felt your child was a threat, what would you do? Throughout the film, Irene was offered options, some support (although there was ridicule from her own community), and plenty of warnings, but she still made a tragic choice. “Rosemead” is a mournful story of how grief can poison the well and create more coffins, with an award-winning performance from Liu.
Rating:
In a race against time, an ailing woman is stricken by the discovery of her teenage son’s violent obsessions and must go to great lengths to protect him, and possibly others, in this portrait of a Chinese American family. Inspired by true events.
Writer and editor