In the first tale, Mavis Fang from Taiwan wasn’t in the best mindset to write her doctoral dissertation so she decided to ‘take care’ of the ‘personal issues’ that seemed to be affecting her. Now, loneliness, depression and a sense of struggling to adjust to her new surroundings isn’t exactly the best situation to be in. However, to earn some money, she takes on the job as a Mandarin translator for social services, unfortunately, this job proves to be far more problematic and complex of tasks than what she expected. But after some time, she encounters Xiao Jian, a 16-year old illegal immigrant who has been ordered to be deported and refuses to speak with anyone. Mavis, empathising with the boy tries to interact with him more as she is aware of his sense of isolation.
The second story shows how Jack, who arrived in New York from Taiwan to study computer science, is quite annoyed with how the schooling system works and on top the pressure from his parents puts him in a depressive state. He seeks solace in hip hop dancing but funnily enough that dancing set off a series of unfortunate events for him until he met Lulu, a girl from Singapore who danced for video shoots. Eventually, the two began dating, however, one thing lead to another and certain problems that Lulu faced began to gradually show.
The last story is about a couple named Jason and Claire who shifted to the United States about 2 decades ago and now reside in an upscale neighborhood in Brooklyn with their 9-year-old son named Jasper.
The couple are considered upper middle class, so it is safe to say that they are financially secure, however, Jasper has Asperger’s, ADHD, and bipolar disorder. The police come in after witnessing Claire and Jason’s violent encounter within the park and after as well, Jason’s sense of guilt is intensified by his inability to protect their son and wife. He decides to take a leave of absence from work in order to seek professional help for Jasper allowing the couple an ounce of peace that is a vacation, their problems do not however just vanish.
Yu Sen-I throughout the three stories makes it an important point to stress out that the West, especially New York, which most people believe is the birthplace of western civilization, possesses both provision and issues, which is the same as any other part of this planet. Besides this main point which will still encourage optimism as the rest of the narrative progresses, each part of the movie seems to be about some particular issues of residing in there and several disadvantages which they present.
This way, in the first one Mavis gets to understand how migration and insurance companies work and considers how the language barrier is on the one hand a disadvantage but also allows people like her to get a job in a different country.
Despite the rigid nature of the corporate culture and harshness of ICE, the director ensures that no one in the story is perceived as a villain. The drama in the movie is to an extent which I feel works very well for the movie since the messages are conveyed quite well. Vivian sung splendidly portrays the role of Mavis in the movie and angered she delivers her performance in a calm and compelling manner, the first time she loses control is one of the best moments in the movie.
The second part is, for the most part, more focused on the psychological aspect of the matter and is somewhat lighter, at least until Lulu appears. There are other challenges for a young individual to gain citizenship in America apart from con artists posing as able businessmen, the fear of exploitation always looms. I enjoyed Yus incorporation of hip hop into the movie which offered a fresh perspective and capability to cope with the challenges Jack had to deal with however the impact of this portion liked in spice compared to the other two.
Keung To as Jack and Jessica Lee as Lulu have nice chemistry here, probably the best thing about the segment.
In the third part, We essentially start to veer from the problems that Asians (or foreigners if you like) endure, as the idea of the handicapped child and what it entails for the parents is a universally valid concept. The balance of drama and tension has an edge and intensity of its own and the violent episode finds itself amidst some of the most unforgettable parts of the movie. The interplay between the parents and their child is portrayed realistically, even if it’s in a heated dramatic context, there are times, unfortunately, when the narrative moves to had slightly melodramatic areas as with the father’s monologue and along the sea. But this is also the section that is the most well framed and photographed with Grant Greenberg showing pretty stunning looks, especially the beach of which is the most attractive scene in this movie. On this occasion it was Jasper played by Logan Cheng who prevailed in the acting competition.
Omnibuses were never an easy genre to work with in a feature film especially since the caliber of different parts is almost never the same and in this case Heavenly City is not an exception.
In contrast, Yu Sen-I portrayed the challenges of immigration, in some instances, experienced by the locals too, proficiently in an engaging manner while ensuring realism, the three settings do indeed help with the ease of watching the film.
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