Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: KUNG FU ZOHRA [International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022 - Virtual]

The aspect of a revenge thriller is normally beset by certain elements of the mundane that become heightened but what Kung Fu Zhora" [Big Screen Competition] does in a way is take conventions and textures of domestic violence and mind screwing inside a relationship and places it in a slightly genre setting. Zhora is living in the desert completely happy in certain ways working at her store and watching Kung Fu films. A man comes along and sweeps her off her feet, makes her laugh and brings her back home (presumably France) to live with him and raise a family. Through his own laziness, he becomes downtrodden and unemployed and beats her around and yet she won't fight back. Th texture starts as looking at self defense for You Tube until Zhora comes upon a janitor as the local gym she starts working at (she is also a cashier at a supermarket). The janitor has a Miyagi feel to him but having him teach her without any connection per se of language is an interesting construct though a little dated. But Zhora is focused and still doting.

The film jumps back and forth a couple years and the crux of the story is the daughter tha ties her and her husband together. There is also a law of desertion which plays into the story in terms of the law and responsibility. The father plays the child against her mother so there is no means of escape per se for her without damaging the relationship with her child. It is an interesting quagmire but one that unfortunately plays out every day in the real world. Zhora wants to beat him up, bring him to his senses and let go of her rage. She trains like mad, learning moves in a makeshift layout of her apartment that Chang Sue crates for her at gym. Yet still her husband he won't engage. It is unusual in a would be action film that it goes on so long...and it does throw the pacing off a little bit.

The film does build to something but it needed something in the middle to decompress it. The training sequences are one thing but some kind of secret mission on a holiday would play more to the levity. There is some comedic elements especially in the dry humor of Chang Sue her teacher but it never spills over. Granted the piece also has to point to a resolution. While this is satisfying in many ways in the end, it also doesn't have as much impact as it could. Even the credits sequence plays more like an apology of "this is what we really want to show you". "Kung Fu Zohra" has a good premise, is perfect for a specific market but is also content in being what it is: a character drama wrapped in a message with a tad of humor making it relatable. B-

By Tim Wassberg