Ice Poison
Starring Shin-Hong Wang, Ke-Xi Wu, Wu Ke-Xi and Wang Shin-Hong
A young farmer and his father are barely able to survive on their meagre corn harvest and so they make their way down from the mountains to the village to borrow money from their relatives working in jade mines or on opium plantations. But missing paperwork, deceit and corruption have left them impoverished too. Finally, the father pawns his cow for a moped so that his son can earn a living as a taxi driver. His first customer is Sanmei, who has returned to Myanmar to bury her grandfather. She decides not to go back to China and to get out of an arranged marriage in order to begin a new life with her son in her old country. When Sanmei accepts a job as a drug runner she persuades the young farmer to be her driver.
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Reviews
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★★★½ review by Andy Wang on Letterboxd
Moving at a deliberate pace, Ice Poison is a slow-burn drama that gradually takes effect if you invest enough patience in the characters' journey. The film subtly addresses the devastating hardship and poverty Burmese immigrants and citizens are faced with nowadays, and it sometimes feels like a socio-documentary with keen observation of the hidden corners of Burmese society in the slow, naturalistic dialogue scenes among the characters.
I am impressed with the film's calmly assured direction both in visual style and storytelling, and the performances are as naturalistic and powerful as they come. The ending is also brilliantly effective in a lot of ways. Midi Z. is surely a director to watch:)
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★★★★ review by Carlos Magalhães on Letterboxd
It takes a very insightful director to tackle different social matters in this subtle way, never preaching or offering solutions, with a story that unfolds in a careful pace and gives us time to connect with the characters as we closely observe their lives and actions.
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★★★½ review by Cheng-Chung Tsai on Letterboxd
看完第一與第二部曲，「冰毒」做為第三部曲顯得相對薄弱；三部曲如果總結起來拍成一部三小時的片，應該也ok。本片配樂為小各，但因為斷斷續續沒集中精神看，所以沒特別注意。
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★★★★ review by Steve Rogers on Letterboxd
A slow paced bit wonderful film about the struggles of two people in Burma. Long shots that, if the viewer is patient, will reward you. An almost documentary feel to the narrative that makes the viewer feel the sad emotional state the permeates the film.
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★★★★ review by MOVIEGOER on Letterboxd
原來早在幾個月前，我便在《南方來信》中見過趕著回家陪公公走完最後一段路的三妹了。從王興洪演的摩托計程車司機在車站講價拉到三妹生意那裡開始，直到公公身軀上蓋著從黃草壩帶回來的安老衣去世時為止，是我認為在《冰毒》中相當精彩的段落之一，一氣呵成，短短幾個鏡頭便呈現了相當多事情與情感；令人屏息的光線與構圖就無需再說，導演趙德胤以相當精煉的手法，交代了三妹──可說是緬甸邊境一種近乎是icon式人物的背景，先祖來自中國，特別是雲南一帶，在各種政治、經濟因素的影響下目前居住在緬甸，為了賺錢又前往中國工作，但終究因為情感的羈絆而回來緬甸。可緬甸的環境艱困，要想賺錢，若不是冒著被緝捕的風險賣冰毒，就是到玉石場工作。
《冰毒》中的人物，都在沒什麼選擇的情況下做了最「飽滿」的選擇，竭盡所能、不惜鋌而走險，一如導演趙德胤拍電影的風格，總是在資源相當有限的情況下將一切發揮到極致。
其中讓我最為感動的一幕是三妹在地方的KTV唱著〈愛上一個不回家的人〉，一邊向王興洪招手調情，短短不到一首歌的時間，唱出了時代下年輕人對於愛情的嚮往、苦悶的生活但依舊苦中作樂、唱出所謂全球化文化的滲透。在三妹房中那場一起吸著冰毒的戲，演員情緒的掌握令人驚嘆；一呼一吸之間，將生活的壓力暫時寄託在逸失的煙霧之中；宿命般的無可奈何，與片尾那場宰殺牛犢的畫面，殊途同歸地形塑出趙德胤對於人處在該時空下的詮釋。
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