Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive (BLU-RAY)
Exploding a seemingly simple premise - a nameless "cowboy" courier (Spencer Nakasako) arrives in pre-Handover Hong Kong to deliver a mysterious briefcase to a mercurial Mob boss whilst becoming entangled with his femme fatale mistress (Cora Miao) - independent filmmaking legend Wayne Wang's LIFE IS CHEAP … BUT TOILET PAPER IS EXPENSIVE barrels through inspired genre deconstruction, guerrilla docu-fiction and fierce political jeremiad, all with a keen sense of humor and deeply rich visual palette.
Tracking the Man-with-no-name's increasingly byzantine mission across every level of the city's social strata, we're introduced to fortune families, cabdrivers, hustlers, butchers and more, each punctuating the high-octane Neo-noir narrative with instantly memorable monologues that capture a now-distant era in Hong Kong history.
Multifaceted but never incoherent LIFE IS CHEAP … BUT TOILET PAPER IS EXPENSIVE is among Wang's most unique and bracing contributions to the independent film cannon. Much-loved on the international film festival circuit but unjustly overlooked in North America, this is a maverick tour de force ripe for rediscovery.
Special Features and Techncial Specs:
- NEW 4K RESTORATION of Wayne Wang's final cut by Lightbox Film Center at University of the Arts in collaboration with University of California Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
- NEW video interview with Wayne Wang
- NEW video interview with Wayne Wang and co-writer/co-director Spencer Nakasako
- Original chase sequence
- U.S. Theatrical Trailer
- New essay by Aliza Ma
- REGION-A "LOCKED"