An official selection to the
1998 Toronto Film Festival, this art-house film from celebrated
photographer Yeung Fan is a gay love story of the most emotionally
involved kind. Stephen Fung is Jet, a male hustler who approaches
his job with the demeanor and style of a professional. All
that is thrown out the window when he falls for Sam (Daniel
Wu), a seemingly straight cop with a beautiful girlfriend
(Shu Qi, in a short cameo).
Enchanted by Sam’s beauty and
quiet grace, he draws closer to him. He doesn’t mean to deceive
Sam about his sexuality but he’s powerless to walk away from
him. Little does he know that Sam has secrets of his own,
which involve Jet’s colleague Ching (Jason Tsang) as well
as a teen-idol pop star named K.S. (Terence Yin). You guessed
it: they’re all gay.
Lusciously filmed, this is an interesting
film that grew from an actual HK scandal about a famous photographer/playboy
who was discovered to have a large cache of sexy photos -
featuring young men dressed (or undressed) as policemen. That
story is fictionalized as the story of Gucci (Joe Junior)
who has shots of Sam and Ching in his collection.
The
reality-based component of the film is only a small portion;
what Yeung Fan does here is extrapolate from that incident
to create an intertwined net of stories. This is a movie ultimately
about how these beautiful young men deal with love and sexuality.
In Jet’s case, it’s a matter of lust versus love. Self-confident
and preening (attributes readily displayed by Stephen Fung),
Jet only loses his power when he falls under Sam’s spell.
On the other hand, Sam is constantly in control - or so it
seems. Eventually he gives into emotion, too, and the results
prove disastrous. Daniel Wu’s opaque performance is the center
of the film, and it’s most effective considering much hinges
on his next move.
Still, the film doesn’t do much more
than provide a glossy exploration of a HK’s gay lifestyle.
Despite all the film’s positives, you never get the sense
that there’s more than what’s happening on the screen. The
writing and direction lends itself to a frigid beauty that
carries over to the film's emotional impact; you might find
yourself unmoved despite Yeung Fan's best efforts. Ultimately,
this is a gay movie perhaps best enjoyed by women, as each
of the men is exceptionally beautiful to an almost maddening
degree. (Kozo 1999) |
