If you feel you’ve had too many happy moments during the holidays and need to balance your fate with something grim, be sure to catch the multi -award winning thriller Rosemead. Lucy Liu plays Irene, a struggling Los Angeles single mother with terminal cancer – she hasn’t told her schizophrenic son Joe (Lawrence Shou). He’s in a world of his own pain following the death of his father and is unpredictable, violent and acts out at school; his irresponsibility leads to problems. He knows he’s on the edge. He asks his therapist for a meds update but won’t describe how he’s feeling. Irene breaks in and listens to their session as far as it goes. Irene’s undergoing chemotherapy in secret but when Joe finds her bloody tissues in the garbage, he feels the bottom drop out of his life. They love each other deeply and the possibility he may lose her sets him off. What happens after is a senseless, extreme act like so many in the US. Solid performances by the two leads; Liu is phenomenal, in a role removed from what we expect, and Shou is outstanding as a lost soul. It’s hard to take but advocates for mental health,based on a true story. It took Liu seven years to get the film made. In theatres Jan 9.