‘Life Is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive’ Blu-Ray Review – Wayne Wang’s Challenging Yet Rewarding Social Satire

Exploding a seemingly simple premise—a nameless “cowboy” courier (Spencer Nakasako) arrives in Hong Kong to deliver a mysterious briefcase to a mercurial mob boss and becomes entangled with his femme fatale mistress (Cora Miao)—this long-unavailable triumph from Wayne Wang barrels through inspired genre deconstruction, guerrilla docu-fiction, and fierce political jeremiad, all with a keen sense of humor and a rich visual palette. Tracking the courier’s increasingly byzantine mission across every level of the city’s social strata, Wang introduces us to cabdrivers, hustlers, butchers, and more—each punctuating the high-octane neo-noir narrative with instantly memorable monologues that capture a now-distant era in Hong Kong history.

For thoughts on Life Is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/xWdeP8yLjmQ?si=S5cKUKzHByg-LucF&t=1567]

Video Quality

Life Is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive comes to Blu-Ray in 1080p courtesy of a sumptuous 4K restoration of the 35mm Interpositive undertaken by Arbelos Films under the supervision of director Wayne Wang. The glorious natural film grain is favorably resolved with a consistency that allows fine details to shine through in the environment, clothing, and production design. Facial features are textured with fine lines detectable alongside natural skin tones. Colors are well saturated without being unnatural for the environment, such as landscapes and some interiors.

Exploring the locations with this new transfer brings an all-new vitality to the film. Subtle details stand out with more pronounced clarity than ever before, especially in clothing or production design elements. There is a brief change in aesthetic at one point that results in a brief downturn in quality due to the provenance of the source, but this is a small detour in an overall fetching film. Black levels are robust without any noticeable blocking or compression artifacts, and highlights never get close to clipping. Arbelos Films has brought this one to life exactly how it deserves. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track in the original mixture of English, Mandarin, and Cantonese that perfectly embodies the soundscape of the film. The environmental sounds are rendered consistently and resolutely alongside everything else, even during the handful of relatively lively moments. The audio track is well maintained as there are not any noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear remaining. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting overshadowed by any competing sounds. 

Music is used appropriately to establish the mood of the story, and this track handles it elegantly throughout the film. There is never a moment where it threatens to overshadow competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through favorably. Arbelos Films has given this feature an impeccably preserved audio presentation that will not disappoint in the slightest. Optional English subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

The Blu-Ray of Life Is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive includes a bound booklet featuring the essay “Missing Link” by Aliza Ma which provides a great amount of context and insight into the film and the career of Wayne Wang that is so worthwhile. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

• Interview with Wayne Wang: A new 24-minute interview with Wang in which he discusses growing up in Hong Kong, being raised on Hollywood films, the influence of underground filmmaking on his work, returning to Hong Kong after studying in the US to get real work, what he wanted to say with Life Is Cheap…, the use of blood in the feature, his feelings about the feature, and more. 

• An Interview with Wayne Wang and Spencer Nakasako: A 30-minute interview with Wang and the co-writer/co-director in which they discuss the struggles with the ratings board, the reception of the film, the ways this pushed the boundaries of Asian American cinema, their collaborative process, the casting of the film, the scarce nature of the cinematography, and more. 

• Original Chase Sequence.: A 10-minute version of the chase sequence is provided here in HD and Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. 

• Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Life Is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is a challenging bit of social satire from the great Wayne Wang. Some of the imagery will likely be hard to stomach for some, yet there is a manic confidence in the presentation that keeps you transfixed. The narrative seems secondary to the overall mood of the piece, but the film is not so impenetrable as to completely alienate the audience. The film is just as likely to split audiences today as it did upon its initial release, but it is one well worth exploring for yourself. Arbelos Films has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a fine selection of special features. If you are a fan of ‘80s and ‘90s independent cinema, this release should be on your radar. Recommended 

Life Is Cheap…But Toilet Paper Is Expensive is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arbelos Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.