Have you ever been sent into the Earthโs orbit by a transcendent chili sauce? If not, do not worry, the New Yearโs comedy Chili Laugh Story will certainly make up for your missing space experience.
The debuting director Coba Cheng has made an autobiographical story based on his own experience with selling The Chili Lab hot sauce. And he certainly did not sugarcoat his life story and make it look like a glorifying myth!
One day amid the pandemic, young Coba realizes that his motherโs chili sauce is beyond compare and he ventures to start a business based on a family recipe. At a first glance, Chili Laugh Story respects the conventions of New Yearโs comedies โ it is full of puns, pranks, expressive acting, and lessons on the power of family. But just at the right moment, it crosses genre boundaries and becomes a rather spicy social satire.
It is critical of insufficient government support during the pandemic, it mocks the desire to accumulate wealth, and denounces negative influence of large companies on small family businesses.
In his debut, Coba Cheng shows he has a gift to capture visually interesting moments โ intergalactic chili sauce tasting is one of the film highlights โ and nuanced social criticism.