“ROSEMEAD”

As its opening title card states, “Rosemead,” premiering at this year’s Tribeca Festival, has been “inspired by true events.” In the San Gabriel Valley, a terminally ill Chinese immigrant and recently widowed mother discovers her schizophrenic son has a mysterious (and frightening) fascination with mass shootings. Her health worsens while she becomes willing to seemingly stop at nothing to protect her son, leading to a shocking conclusion that might be difficult to comprehend were it not based on actual people and events. The film, directed by Eric Lin (who also wrote the script alongside Marilyn Fu), deals with a variety of heavy topics, including mental health, the prevalence of gun violence in America, and complicated parent-child relationships. It also tackles the Chinese-American immigrant experience, making it all the more timely. Lin has packed a great deal into the film’s 97-minute runtime, yet it mostly successfully depicts these weighty subjects in an impactful, sensitive manner, anchored by Lucy Liu’s powerful central performance.

When we first meet Liu’s Irene, she runs a print shop and speaks English with a thick accent, often conversing in Chinese with her fellow immigrants and her son, Joe (Lawrence Shou), who responds in English. It’s already obvious she’s sick, as she frequently coughs throughout the day, although she’s keeping this cancer reoccurrence — she had it at least once before — a secret from Joe. We also soon learn that Joe suffers from schizophrenia, presumably exacerbated by her husband/Joe’s father’s recent passing. While it’s unclear if the father passed away due to an illness or from a mental health-related reason, his presence is felt throughout. Additionally, it’s revealed that Joe has a fascination with mass shootings, eagerly watching reports of them on television and not participating in cautionary measures during an active shooter drill at school. His drawings and notes — discovered by a classmate and, later, by his mom — are similarly concerning.

It’s fascinating to see Liu, best known for films like the “Charlie’s Angels” franchise and TV shows like “Elementary,” portray such a world-weary character. As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Liu brings an empathetic portrayal of a single mother who finds herself in increasingly terrifying situations, with her performance morphing into higher levels of complexity as we reach the climax of “Rosemead.” Though we spend more time on Joe’s deteriorating mental health than on Irene’s rapidly accelerating illness, it’s probably because we already know — from the plot synopsis alone — she will not live long. As such, Liu’s ability to remain strong-willed and focused for much of the narrative makes her eventual breakdown upon receiving upsetting news from her doctor so heartbreaking and believable. We’ve seen stories of world-weary immigrant mothers who are “just holding it together” — Joan Chen in “Didi” comes to mind — yet Liu makes the character distinct and even sympathetic, despite what we see her do in the movie’s final moments.

Also, we’ve seen schizophrenic characters onscreen, perhaps most notably in the Oscar-winning “A Beautiful Mind.” While that film was primarily a biopic of a famous mathematician, “Rosemead” leans heavily into horror elements, especially in the final act. For his part, Shou is strong enough to make his schizophrenic episodes believable, and his scenes with Liu are particularly impactful. However, we spend so much time with Joe in his lowest moments, making it difficult for Shou to show us who the character is as a person outside of his mental health crisis.

Lin makes his feature film directorial debut with “Rosemead,” after having helmed shorts and been a cinematographer for films like “Hearts Beat Loud.” With this debut, he has assured himself as a solid director, engaging in devices like slo-mo and blurry shots that range from befuddling to effective; the former is sometimes overused, especially in moments where this feels unnecessary. However, how Lin uses his cinematography background to create surrealistic and/or confusing shots helps make Joe’s schizophrenic episodes feel authentic. Slo-mo is also used effectively in the brief glimpses of a happy memory we see several times, of Irene, Joe, and the late father gleefully dancing in a motel — a scene we’ll revisit throughout the film, and the return to the motel in the final scenes increases the effectiveness of this motif.

Despite Liu’s solid work and the sensitive depictions of heavy subjects, there’s a lack of levity that could have made the dramatic moments more palatable. Almost every line of dialogue comes off as serious, so when we get lines like “gossipy ladies with crooked eyebrow tattoos,” it’s refreshing. This heaviness is essential to understanding these characters, but more fun, lighthearted moments between mother and son — like when they’re walking along the beach — would’ve been appreciated. Also, Lin and Fu’s dialogue can occasionally be obvious and predictable, such as when Irene asks her friend, “What did I do wrong?” This is a question viewers will undoubtedly ponder as the film ends, and we’re left wondering why Irene did what she did. Regardless, Liu holds the film together with her fierce, slowly unraveling performance, making this a highlight of her storied career.