A Japanese American cowboy, hired to come to Hong Kong, delivers a mysterious briefcase to a triad boss on the eve of the city’s handover to China. The cowboy is lost in this dazzling and disorienting metropolis, stumbling into tricky terrain when he meets the lover of the triad boss (Cora Miao).

Chinese American director Wayne Wang’s Life is Cheap . . . But Toilet Paper is Expensive is one of the few films Wang shot in his hometown of Hong Kong and represents a breakthrough in his cinematic style. Wang weaves together film noir elements and unconventional subject matter, as well as bold, experimental techniques. The performances from Lo Wei, Lo Lieh, Cheng Kwan-Min, Allen Fong, and John Chan, besides cameos by Brenda and Kai-pong Chau, help this obscure Hong Kong indie film gain its cult status.

M+ Cinema presents a newly restored 4K version of film for audiences to rediscover and reassess this hidden gem.

Wayne Wang (b. 1949, Hong Kong) graduated from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, where he studied film and television. In the 1970s, Wang briefly worked at RTHK in his hometown before moving back to the Bay Area in California. He witnessed the changes in Chinatown while he was teaching English in the community. Wang's experience would shape his feature film debut Chan is Missing (1982), a low-budget independent film that received critical acclaim at the time. In the 1990s, he worked in Hollywood and was best known for directing Joy Luck Club (1993) and Smoke (1995). In recent years, Wang has returned to his independent roots to focus on personal projects, including Coming Home Again (2019).