The Fruit is Swelling is a funny little Asian movie about an eight-year-old girl who is curious, and prays that she will grow up in a hurry. Lo and behold, her prayer is answered, and that's when the troubles start.

The film has quite a bit of humor, much of it silly, but often delightful. To my surprise I actually ended up caring about the love story there is in it too. And I liked many of the characters too. I am sure the idea was inspired by the film Big, with Tom Hanks. Both films start by a close-up of the feet of the hero as he/she gets out of bed in the morning. (The difference is that the adult hero in this film does not have big, hairy feet like Tom Hanks, so the revelation is more subtle.)

The dialogue is in Chinese, with English subtitles. In addition to the humor intentionally put in the film, there is a not inconsiderable amount of unintentional humor from the Asian-produced subtitles. A couple of times it is anybody's guess what was actually said. The phenomenon is even visible in the title, which is a bit strange, or even, uh, un-PC. And the heroine is called Peach!

Fruit has several sex scenes, which one may or may not care about, but there are many lovely women in the film, so especially if one likes Asian nudes, it is very watchable for that reason. I bought it because I knew the girl playing the older version of Peach, Chun Chung, as a photo model, and she is exceptionally pretty. A lovely girl.

The film ends on a dumb note with the morale being that "we can learn that if one is not eighteen yet, one can't have sex, and if one is eighteen, one can have sex." Now this is probably just put in to pacify the censors, but if we imagine for a moment that the film makers genuinely feel that this is the message of the film, then I must protest on on philosophical grounds. It is a good thing to know the law, and to follow it. Trouble usually comes when you don't. But it is not the purpose of Art to teach or preach the law. Simply because laws change between countries and states, and they come and go as society changes, and they are not important in the long run. Art should concern itself with aesthetics and with philosophy (in the broad sense, as in "what to make of it all"). And it might concern itself with ethics, what is right. But the law? It is not important enough. Leave that to informercials from the government(s).

Eolake Stobblehouse

Go buy this film on DVD. Or on video.

Favorite quote: "The man was punishing her with his club, and she was suffering."
(Eight-year-old Peach's enterpretation of her first porn movie.)

	Actress Chun Chung is lovely.
"What is happening to me?!" Peach suddenly gained ten years overnight.

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