Even though many people have fought for the rights we now enjoy in the past, we, at times, take them for granted. Apart from issues such as free speech, there are also factors such as having a roof over your head, the ability to work and live wherever you want to and have your rights protected by authorities as well as state institutions. Therefore it is certainly sobering to find directors emphasizing how central and necessary those rights and aspects of our lives are, by focusing on those areas within our world that still live without them. In his short feature “Tea Land”, Taiwanese director Tseng Ying-Ting tells a story of people whose status as illegal workers makes them suspend these rights in order to support themselves and their families. The film tells a story about desperation, envy and also the longing to break out of a cycle that has become one's life for too long.
“Tea Land” is screening at Asian Pop-up Cinema
An (Sajee Apiwong) and Hsin (Wasit Seehawong) are part of a group of illegals working on a high-mountain tea farm. Even though they have been a couple for some time, Hsin has saved a lot of money in order to return home to his family in Vietnam, which causes quite a few arguments with An. However, on the morning after his farewell party, Hsin is found dead and while it is uncertain whether he was killed, the rest of the workers suspect An, who was also after the money her lover had saved. As the boss of the farm leaves his workers to deal with the issue themselves, things begin to escalate.
As the movie opens, we witness the majestic sight of the endless tea fields in the mountains, a beautiful sight captured by Garvin Chan's camera. While the movie will return to this setting, we cannot help but realize how the notion of freedom and beauty has completely vanished as the life of the people in the film are restricted to a very small area. Constantly in fear of being captured by the police, hiding in the fields and sleeping in ramshackle huts, there are very few glimpses of beauty or freedom in the lives of people like An and Hsin. Instead, there is the strong longing to escape, to make enough money and get out of this life, which incidentally also works as a strong motivation to employ desperate measures to reach this particular aim.
Interestingly, Tseng Ying-Ting blends the drama of the character's situation with elements of thriller. Left to deal with the murder and the money on their own, the bond between the workers is tested, gives in to jealousy and greed, making people suspicious of one another, a notion heightened by the limited space the workers have to live in.
“Tea Land” is a very efficiently made blend of drama and thriller. In less than 30 minutes, Tseng Ying-Ting manages to tell a tale of murder, jealousy and desperation with great images and a very good cast.
