The only reason I saw this film was because director, Pang Ho-Cheung, had another film screening at the festival this year (the horror film, “Dream Home”) and I just thought that it would be interesting to see how he handed the two different genres. Well, I’m certainly glad that I did because Pang Ho-Cheung has created quite a little gem here. On the surface this looks just like your typical silly Hong Kong romantic comedy, but this isn’t the case as it deals with current issues affecting the citizens of Hong Kong today. As opposed to most other Hong Kong comedies, this is grounded in reality (its biggest strength) and the conversations that characters have with one another are so believable.
The backdrop to the story regards the recent change in Hong Kong law that (similar to Australia) prevents citizens from smoking indoors, as well as certain areas outdoors. Because of this, smokers tend to smoke in alleys and end up interacting with people that they normally wouldn’t come in contact with. In a strange way, these smoking laws are bringing people together. In the film, predictably, two of these people end up starting a relationship (played by Shawn Yue and Miriam Yeung) and we follow them for the first week together.
This is such a charming and easy-to-watch film, which also had something to say. I must make mention of a brilliant scene that plays over the end credits which is hilarious, but also changes a perceived moment from an earlier scene that is just magnificent. Speaking of the end, the climax of the film also happens during the time when the Hong Kong government upped the taxes significantly on cigarettes in an effort to stop people from buying them. As such, we see characters going from store to store trying to buy as much of their preferred brand before the price hike. As I’ve mentioned already, this film was a nice surprise and I recommend it whole heartedly. It was also great to see Miriam Yeung again (loved the purple hair!).
3.5 Stars - Viewed at the 2010 Melbourne International Film Festival
No comments:
Post a Comment