PARKING (Taiwan 2008) ***1/2
Directed by Mong-Hong Chung

PARKING is one of the most impressive directorial debuts I have seen this year.  Writer/director Chung’s film is an art film set in the real world of broken relationships, prostitution and growing old.

It all starts when Chen Mo (Chen Chang) buys a Mother’s Day cake for dinner hoping to patch up a broken relationship with his wife (Lunmei Kwai).  A double parked car forces Chen to search for its owner.  He encounters a pimp (Leon Dai) and his prostitute (Peggy Tseng), a one-armed barbershop owner (Jack Kao) and an old couple waiting for their lost son to return.  The title PARKING could also refer to the ‘parked’ lives of the various characters.  The prostitute is waiting for her debt be paid so that she can lead a normal life; the old couple is awaiting news on closure in the waiting etc.  Chen is the protagonist that breaks the mold so that all can continue on with their lives.

With little inter-cutting of the stories, Chung moves his film so that the audience hardly realize that the script contain separate tales.  At the same time, the film flows smoothly with the only reason it feeling like an art film is its smartness.

Chung’s cinematography is also impressive giving the film a look of originality.  Chung is unafraid to include lots of swearing and shoots in the 3 languages spoken in Taiwan of Hokkien, Mandarin and Cantonese because of the diversity of the characters.  Darkly funny in parts (especially in the way the cake keeps getting destroyed), PARKING is well-intentioned with a feel-good ending despite its somber content.