Long time friends, Chan Shi Kyun (Richie Jen) and Yu Chi Lun (Ekin Cheng), have decided to test their luck by starting up their own business. However, things don't go as smoothly as they hoped, as after purchasing a dish washing business they soon learn of contractual obligations, staffing problems and outdated equipment. To solve their problem, they decide to hire through a social worker, who finds jobs for those with mental disabilities with the goal to become eligible for the “special social enterprise”, which offers grants for those who employ challenged individuals.
“The Dishwasher Squad” is Screening as Part of
Season 13 of Asian Pop-Up Cinema
The directorial debut from HK director Shum Shek Yin, “The Dishwasher Squad” is a comedy that aims to pull at the heartstrings by transforming lovable losers and a group of troubled individuals into a successful enterprise. However, the film embodies some unsavory observations on those with mental health, giving the production an ugly challenge to overcome. However, like a disgusting encrusted dinner plate, you just have to spend some time scrubbing and washing to produce a polished sheen.
“The Dishwasher Squad” certainly starts off rough with humor being derived by using mental health issues as a punchline – indecent through laughing at, instead of with. It is quite jarring, a reminder that this has always been, and continues to be, a struggle within cinema to portray challenged individuals with sincere, deserved humanity. Seen as annoyances with quirks that deem them undesirable, the first 20 minutes are difficult to traverse without reservation, especially concerning the subject of obesity, as one girl eats garbage out of a dog food dispenser in an attempt at humor. Understandably, the movie will not win favor with anyone who is overtly critical of how mental health is both portrayed and handled in film – regardless of falling in the comedy genre.
Thankfully, Shum Shek Yin is able to transform his narrative from crass comedy into an endearing tale of friendship, compassion, and the entrepreneurial spirit. At first looking to only capitalize on the rag-tag group of misfits, Chan and Yu begin to open up their hearts as they find value in their actions and loyalty. Furthermore, the outside tragedies plaguing the workers come to the attention of the duo, forcing them to understand how easy it is for a culture to exploit challenged individuals. This leads to some touching moments as their ‘bottom-line' stance morphs into compassion – there is a defined transition of the characters' own morality towards helping those in need. Undeniably, the work never shakes the taboo of misrepresenting mental health issues (still often used as cheap punchline), but the humanity that seeps in as the narrative progresses gives “The Dishwasher Gang” enough of a redemptive angle to make it palatable.
Easily the most endearing aspect of the title comes from the chemistry between Chan Shi Kyun (Richie Jen) and Yu Chi Lun (Ekin Cheng). The two resonate a familiar friendship, built off of leaning on each other's strengths to work their way out of tricky situations. As such, the ‘guilt free' humor certainly comes from the duo's interactions, watching them awkwardly overcome struggles to save their business. Comparatively, the remainder of the cast is serviceable and avoids being overtly insulting. There is always peril in actors portraying sever mental health, but the cast seems to approach it with professional sincerity – no reason to fault the cast for the misinformed humor.
The cinematography and audio design is clean and very ‘commercial', perhaps flawless to a fault of losing some sense of personality. Granted, there are a few great comedic stings that come out of creative camera work, and there is an odd intensity to the final sequence where the group is given the chance to redeem themselves through a new contract – who knew washing dishes on a time restraint could be so enthralling. Consequently, the production stylistically hits all the right notes with a few pleasant surprises, but nothing that will particularly wow an audience.
Overall, the movie is a difficult film to fully embrace, as the initial humor and tone is really misguided. Even as the film becomes sincere in tone, it is difficult to shake the feeling you are laughing at another's disability. Regardless, “The Dishwasher Squad” overcomes a lot of its misgivings to craft a heartfelt experience that celebrates more than it mocks – you will want to cheer for the success of Chan and Yu and share laughs with them along the way.
