Applause Pictures Ltd., 2004
starring: Bai Ling, Tony Leung, Ka Fai, Byung-hun Lee and Kyoko Hasegawa
directed by: Fruit Chan, Takashi Miike and Chan-wook Park

the plot: “Three … Extremes” is an anthology of three short films. The first segment, “Dumplings,” follows aging actress Li (Ka Fai) as she tries to regain her youthful looks. She enlists the help of Mei (Ling), a local woman known for the restorative powers of her specially made dumplings. Even after Li learns the horrifying truth about the dumplings’ ingredients, she can’t help but keep eating, no matter what the cost. In the second segment, “Cut,” a renowned film director (Lee) finds his life turned upside down when a mysterious stranger kidnaps him and his wife. Trapped on the set of his latest film, the director is forced to answer for crimes he never committed. The final segment, “Box,” is a hallucinatory trip through the dream world of Kyoko (Hasegawa), a successful novelist who can’t escape her memories of a dark childhood secret. A series of chronic nightmares, in which she finds herself covered in plastic and trapped inside a box underground, starts to have chilling effects on her.

why it’s good: “Three … Extremes” is a solid collection of shorts from three of the best directors currently working in Japan and Hong Kong. Despite the title, don’t expect the extreme gore and violence found in Miike’s and Park’s previous films.

“Extremes” is more psychological in nature, which actually makes it more unsettling. Fruit Chan’s “Dumplings” is by far the most explicitly horrific—the titular dumplings are made using aborted fetuses. Even still, Chan keeps the blood to a minimum, instead relying on a healthy dose of suggestion and judicious use of icky sound effects. Meanwhile, Miike’s “Box” is the most abstract of the three. A somber, subtle film, “Box” unfolds in such a way that repeated viewings might be necessary, if only to fully appreciate the story. It’s a nice change of pace for Miike, known primarily in America for hyper-violent films like “Dead or Alive” and “Ichi the Killer.” Park’s film “Cut” is the most disappointing of the three. Focusing once again on the idea of the cycle of vengeance, Park crafts a nice-looking film that’s ultimately all surface and no substance.

why you should own it: If you’re a fan of the three directors, “Extremes” is definitely worth owning. For those who are curious about contemporary Eastern horror but reluctant to check out the likes of “Ichi” or Park’s 2003 film “Oldboy,” “Extremes” is an ideal introduction.