HIFF review: ‘Night Market Hero’

I got to preview the Taiwanese film, “Night Market Hero,” as one of the designated foodie films of the Hawaii International Film Festival. If you’re looking for a lot of food porn, this won’t be for you. (Although it takes place in a night market, food has a secondary role to the rest of the movie.) Still, it’s very light and entertaining, and may even touch your emotions.

“Night Market Hero” is the first feature film by director Yeh Tien-Lun, which may explain why he tries to jam a lot of details and story lines into one little movie. There’s a lot going on at any night market, and Yeh tries to capture the randomness and variety through a series of different scenes and situations in the first 15 minutes: voting for 888 Market’s union leader, A-Hua; seeing that his young friend, Seven, is always getting into trouble; percolating the rivalry between Madam Steak and the Happy Chicken Filet hawker; introducing Auntie Facial, who sells beauty treatments, and her sexy daughter Lin-Mei, who enchants the nerdy boys toting cameras; and a glimpse at the thugs who try to bully their way through the market.

I laughed out loud and texted Mari Taketa after one scene, where it seems like two food reviewers, a la M+M Eats, are trying the best of the hawker stall food. The women are ecstatic about the steaks, but as soon as each takes a bite of the Happy Chicken Filets, they are rendered speechless and are transported into a musical dream sequence. Sometimes, with some food, it does feel that way.

Shortly after this visual whirlwind tour of the 888 Market, A-Hua meets and falls for Yi-Nan, a petulant young photojournalist who is trying to find her way as a serious professional without getting into trouble with her smoldering, dragon-lady editor. Yi-Nan has soap opera issues of her own, and works through her personal demons as she gets to know the people behind the hawker stalls.

Through Yi-Nan’s time at 888 Market, you learn about the different backstories on each character and how their hardships brought them together at 888. Despite any rivalries, the vendors are loyal to each other and band together when a corrupt politician and a seedy real estate developer propose to build a glitzy, mega-luxury complex on their site.

Food comes back into play as A-Hua brings the politician Four Essence Soup that his mother used to make. The familiar taste reminds the politician of his humbler past and helps him see the error of his ways, but you never really understand what this special soup is supposed to taste like.

That’s a lot of stuff to digest in a short time, and a lot of the movie pulls so many of these random elements out that many pieces of context are missing or out of order. That being said, it’s still entertaining and fun to watch, so just let the movie take you on a journey and roll with it. Don’t ask questions; just fill in the blanks yourself. Much of the acting is over the top and the fantasy sequences are campy, so you know it’s not something you need to take seriously.

I laughed. Heck, I cried, and I don’t cry at movies. Despite its various shortcomings, “Night Market Hero” is still a cute film that will leave you entertained and feeling like you got a peek at Taiwanese culture.

“Night Market Hero”
Taiwan, 124 minutes
Playing at the Hawaii International Film Festival
Tuesday, October 18, 6 p.m. Dole Cannery F
Sunday, Oct. 23, 5:30 p.m. Dole Cannery D

Trailer