A new wave of filmmaking showing the commercialized condition of the post-modern Malaysian culture is an intriguing and humorous movie.

The Beautiful Washing Machine at first seems as if it is the story about Teoh (Loh Bok Lai) a broken-hearted bachelor whose depression at his job causes him to be reprimanded by his superior.  It seems his girlfriend has left him and he momentarily salves his misery by shopping for a washing machine.  The one he purchases begins to malfunction driving him to wash his clothes by hand.  When he calls the manufacturer about repairs he is told that the machine is out of production and there are no serviceable parts for him.  He calls in an independent repairman who finds the machine in good working order but when he leaves the machine again breaks down.  Teoh's relationship with the demanding machine reaches an interesting level, and at one point he can be seen dragging the machine into his bedroom to rest next to him as he watches television.   One night he is awakened by the presence of a Woman (Amy Lin) in his kitchen sitting next to the washing machine.  The woman moves in permanently and washes, cooks and cleans.  Teoh buys her a dress and at one point pimps her out to a Short Thug (Yuhang Ho) from whom she leaves after he is knocked unconscious.  When a group of thugs attacks Teoh, the Woman runs and jumps into the car of Mr. Wong (Teoh Kah Yong) an older widower who happens to own a broken washer just like Teoh's.  Mr. Wong allows The Woman to wash, and clean and cook continuously in his house but when his daughter Yuen (Chin Lee Ling) discovers the Woman she tries to drive her out.  One peculiar trait is that The Woman never speaks, not even when asked a direct question.  This is very disconcerting to those who come in contact with her eventually motivating everyone to resort to giving the woman orders or attempting to seduce her.  Yuen is the long-time girlfriend of Yap (Yap Kok Chong), an office associate of Teoh's and Yuen's father Mr. Wong would like her to marry Yap, the man with whom she has been living with for many years.  Yap at one point forces himself on The Woman and Mr. Wong sees Yap rape the Woman but does nothing.  Later when Yuen confronts the Woman she leaves, creating a vacuum in the lives of those she has touched.

The reticent presence of The Woman in the lives of the people in this Malaysian world produces many different reactions that are motivated in part by the fact that the young cleaner never deems it necessary to involve herself in the natural flow of life around her.  Where she has come from is a mystery and her eagerness to take care of the housekeeping elements in the houses she finds herself shows her to be a product of a particular social philosophy of this post-modern world.  This idea is buffeted by director James Lee and his use of locations that either dwarfs the character against a background of a multitude of consumer products, or by showing how characters are part of a larger corporate landscape.

To this point it seems that The Beautiful Washing Machine is a spiritual nod to the power of commercial product placement in everyday lives.  Every character seems defined or overcome by the products he comes in contact with.  Teoh is frustrated by the inability of the company that made his washing machine to help him.  A long tracking scene with Teoh and The Woman as they shop in the Super Market has them appearing as commercialized as the packaged goods they peruse, and they in turn are shopped by a stalker with a shopping cart.  Later Mr. Wong can be seen buying cases of Guinness Beer, as his physical presence is shrunken by the towers of products in the market.

Lee is a director totally confident in the intelligence of his audience, the weight of his story and the power of the cultural post-modern iconography he utilizes to tell his tale.  There are more than few intriguing elements to this film.  Consider the long static takes that the director uses to allow action in the frame to tell his story- we see the washing machine from outside the bathroom as Teoh looks around the corner and wanders in to begin pushing the buttons to get it to work.   Lee lets us take in the behavior of the characters as quirky and eclectic as they appear very human with their particular mannerisms.

Funny moments ensue like when the long opening tracking shot reveals Teoh considering all the electric washers and finally buying a used one because in his words, as he tells the salesman: "I prefer a used one".  We wonder immediately why anyone today would want a greenish, used washer instead of a new one.  We soon realize as does Teoh that when the "used" one breaks down he must spring for the repair costs for a new one.  The washer has more than a few uses like when Teoh tosses the poorly-cooked chicken into the machine after a disgusting mouthful of the bird.  Later after he has resigned himself to the washing machine and its temperamental qualities he turns off the lights and tells the machine "good night".

There are also perverse moments like when Mr. Wong watches some Caucasian male-dominated sex films, and before he gets motivated puts on a childish plastic mask - is this to enhance his appreciation?  Later he storms into The Woman's room in his house wearing the same mask and a pair of brightly-colored boxer shorts and his arms our-raised as some weird silent ritual.

What does it all mean?  James Lee doesn't explain, and he doesn't need to as the levels of interpretation increase with the thematic editorializing left out, pushing the film to a level of true cinema.

Shot entirely on a Panasonic AG-DVX100 camera, the film is a clear mark of the coming wave of new filmmaking and directors, utilizing the quickest method of capturing their story.  The story itself utilizes much of the "pure cinema" that Alfred Hitchcock spoke about when he was making such masterpieces as North by Northwest, and Vertigo, as many scenes utilize long takes with characters showing their needs merely by their actions and behavior in their culture.

Watch this one with a significant other and have a good time chatting about what it all means.  It goes great with Mallomars.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older