Wayne Wang occupies a peculiar place in the cinematic culture, since he is not a particularly well-known director on a larger scale, but he is one that is widely respected amongst the niche group of devotees that see the merit in his work. He is best known for American productions like The Joy Luck Club and Smoke, both of which are likely both his most commercially successful and critically acclaimed works, and the ones for which he is usually remembered, even if they are more famous for their cast and overall concept more than Wang’s directorial style. However, he has a much more rich and complex career than just these two films, as evidenced by Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive, which is one of his passion projects. Made towards the beginning of his career, when he was still a young and rambunctious filmmaker with a penchant for experimenting with various ideas, the film is a peculiar but wildly captivating examination of Hong Kong society, as seen through the eyes of an outsider, both in terms of the character that sits at the heart of the story (appropriately named “The Man with No Name”, one of the many references to American culture that populate this film), and a director whose entire identity and background rests in the ambigious space between his cultural homeland and the country in which he was born, which makes for an engaging and spirited dark comedy with a much deeper message embedded within. Critically engaging but still wildly entertaining, the film is just as wacky as its title suggests, but contains a level of nuance that is quite unexpected, and which quietly envelops the viewer as we explore the world that Wang has so meticulously constructed for us over the course of this thrilling but bewildering work of perfectly-calibrated absurdity.

The first key to both understanding and appreciating a film like Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is acknowledging that this film takes place in a version of the world quite different to what we expected, which is a fact that is important to accept, or else our experiences with this film as a whole are going to be quite tedious. Nothing makes sense, and the film hops between perspectives and styles in a way that can be truly disorienting to viewers who are not expecting such a polarizing work in terms of both style and substance. Wang has a tendency to play around with expectations, and even in his more conventional works, he develops ideas in a way that is not always traditional, at least not in their overall execution. This film features many profoundly compelling themes, but each one of them is subjected to an added level of scrutiny that complexity that is deeply fascinating, but also potentially quite polarizing. If you are unable to get onto the wavelength of this film, you are bound to have a difficult time trying to unpack its innumerable themes, especially since it is a work that is deeply and unequivocally dependent on our ability to surrender to its deranged charms, and develop the willingness to do the work to unearth its more peculiar themes, which don’t emerge particularly easily, at least not in the sense that we may initially anticipate. Wang is not interested in giving us the answers, since it is clear that asking the question is more his concern, and the delight he likely gets from challenging the status quo and engaging with certain ideas on a level that is both fascinating and impenetrable being one of the primary reasons this film is such a triumph, albeit one that takes its time to portray a number of very strange subjects, which form the foundation for a truly well-crafted demonstration of artistic and narrative prowess, carefully pieced together by the director in his definitive, restored version of what was clearly intended to be his magnum opus.

It is understandably quite difficult to navigate this film, especially since Wang was approaching certain ideas with a level of incredulity towards logic, an intentional choice but one that doesn’t make Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive any less impenetrable, which seems to be the entire purpose, both functionally and narratively. However, part of the pleasure of watching this film is seeing exactly how the story unfolds, following these characters as the plot leaps between them and shows a very specific and nightmarish depiction of reality, all filtered through the director’s darkly comedic gaze. There are layers of meaning embedded within this film, which primarily takes aim at the class difference that existed within Hong Kong in the years leading up to its independence, a time of creating social and political upheaval, especially as the final vestiges of the British colonial project were not on their last legs, at least in terms of their classical style of imperialism. The wretched excess that exists within such a society is explored in detail by Wang, whose profound interest in examining the state and its people with scrutiny and very little genuine empathy, makes for a compelling, wickedly funny dark comedy, especially coming from someone who was raised with a grasp on both sides of the culture in different ways. Naturally, there can never be a definitive text on the subject of culture clash, which has been the source of many terrific works, whether more comedic or dramatic, and Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive contains many of the curiosities and quandaries someone from within a specific culture, but raised in another, would have when addressing these themes. The film liberally jumps between perspectives, and it takes some time to actually fully grasp the extent to which Wang is investigating certain subjects, but it all becomes part of the detailed, compelling spirit that propels the film and makes it so wonderfully peculiar, and always deeply engaging.

Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is a film that almost entirely lacks a plot – there is a central storyline around a character travelling from the United States to Hong Kong to deliver a briefcase, which he assumes contains drugs or money, to a mysterious individual, who is almost certainly a gangster or some other figure within the criminal underworld that this film implies are implicitly responsible for keeping the state running, as well as adding to its prosperity. However, the use of a mostly non-linear style of filmmaking, as well as an oscillation between different forms of storytelling, makes the film difficult to encapsulate on a narrative level. There are some scenes presented like a documentary, whether extended sequences framed to look like talking head interviews or archival footage set within different sectors across Hong Kong (and likely filmed through the means of guerrilla filmmaking, since some of these moments are quite harrowing and not likely to have been staged), while others are clear references to the films and genres that inspired Wang as a filmmaker, the blending of social satire with other styles, like the clear allusions to film noir and classical westerns, which are intricately woven into the narrative and form its conceptual foundation. For a film as plotless as this, Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is remarkably cohesive once we are able to appreciate that this is not a film that ever intends to make sense of the absurdity that surrounds its creation. The jarring editing reflects the unsettling depiction of the world, as well as a more nonsensical version of reality, coupled with the grotesque performances and even more bizarre characterization, which makes for an engaging and always quite bewildering experience, something that the director heavily leans onto in the creation of this film.

It seems to be universally agreed, even amongst the most fervent defenders of this film, that Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is not a particularly easy piece of storytelling, and the entire conceit is definitely designed to be intentionally polarizing. However, this is all with purpose, since it is extremely clear that the director was designing this film to be more of a mood piece, a work driven less by plot and more by the atmosphere. It only runs at about 80 minutes in length, so it isn’t too expansive on most of its ideas, and it mercifully never overstays its welcome, which is always a good trait for a film designed to be as intentionally strange and disquieting as this, since we can only handle a finite amount of abstraction before it becomes too much. As a whole, Life Is Cheap… But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is just as strange as its title suggests, and equally as socially aware, with the story delivering exactly what we expect, at least in terms of being an off-the-wall, gonzo examination of cultural conventions and quirks that drive many of the most prosperous societies in the world. It is a scathing critique of capitalism, a fascinating deconstruction of political details, and a ferocious evisceration of social structure, which creates a deeply disquieting but always profoundly captivating work of storytelling. Hilarious and challenging in equal measure, the film is quite a triumph in both form and content, and one of the more unique satires to come out of Asia in the 1980s, a time in which social and cultural critiques were at their apex.