REVIEW: ‘Rosemead’ is a well-made, distressing picture

A frightening spiral of events, inspired by a true situation, unfold in this drama with a noteworthy performance from Lucy Liu.

In “Rosemead,” Liu stars as Irene, a woman with a terminal cancer diagnosis whose son, Joe (Lawrence Shou), is also facing major issues. A high school student, Joe has struggled with his mental health since the death of his father.

Because of those struggles, Joe has visited a mental health professional and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As the film goes on, Joe’s mental health deteriorates, resulting in disturbing behavior, putting Irene in a difficult position with her limited resources and worsening cancer.

“Rosemead” is a film that succeeds in showing a scary situation play out. There are increasing signs as the film goes on that Joe’s life is veering down a dangerous and disturbing route, and we as the audience experience those signs with Irene. As she learns more about her son’s condition, the tension rises, and it puts the viewer more on edge.

The tightness of what’s taking place is only made more pronounced by a slew of factors, from Irene’s own terminal illness, to Joe approaching the age of 18, meaning the mother wouldn’t be in charge of his mental health anymore. The movie also earns points for its cultural relevancy.

The film explores how mental health is stigmatized, and especially how it’s looked upon by those with a Chinese background. The audience can see both how deeply Irene wants to help her son, while also trying to navigate the situations through the backdrop of her own background.

The movie’s portrayal of mental health is done with class and tact, too. It shows the struggle Joe is going through without ever coming across as exploitative or over-the-top. Instead, the audience gets a better sense of what’s developing, and it raises the suspense as the film goes on, especially in the last act of the picture.

All things being honest, “Rosemead” is a bit light overall in its narrative. For example, it only covers a small portion of this family’s life, with just a couple flashbacks inserted. There’s a feeling some aspects could have been a bit more fleshed out or expanded upon. That’s noticeable with the picture’s runtime, coming in at hour and 37 minutes.

This is director Eric Lin’s first feature film, and it’s somewhat apparent. While moments portraying Joe’s mental illness are well done and some scenes do capture the intensity of a situation, there are others that feel a bit simple cinematically.

However, the movie has an ace up its sleeve named Lucy Liu. She gives what might just be the best performance of her career in “Rosemead,” with several powerful scenes where she really shows off her acting abilities. It’s definitely a taxing role, with several heavy moments, and she portrays all of them brilliantly.

While maybe not as refined as other flicks coming out this award season, “Rosemead” very much holds its own because of what’s portrayed here, and how well it is portrayed. It’s a harrowing watch that’s very much relevant for American audiences, and has a standout performance from Liu. 4.25 out of 5.