MOVIE REVIEW: Peter Chan’s COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY (1996)

I’ve been watching movies to avoid my other responsibilities lately. It’s great : )

Maggie Cheung as Li Qiao and Leon Lai as Li Xiao-jun.

Synopsis and spoiler free section:

Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996) (Chinese: 甜蜜蜜 tián mì mì), directed by Peter Chan, is a movie about a man from Wusih (located in Northern China), named Li Xiao-jun (played by Leon Lai) who movies to Hong Kong in hopes of raising enough money to start a life there, and to bring his lover there from his hometown. Not knowing any Cantonese in a city that primarily speaks Cantonese, the happy-go-lucky Xiao-jun struggles to get a hang of the ropes there – that is, until he meets the scheming and ambitious Li Qiao (played by Maggie Cheung), who is from Guongzhou, a Cantonese speaking city in mainland China. Although their personalities and goals are completely different, they eventually form a friendship in this harsh city, by bonding through their similar circumstances, their love for the Taiwanese pop singer Teresa Teng, and their loneliness.

More than just a love story:

As the title suggests, this movie has a fair bit of romance – which was very enjoyable in this movie, don’t get me wrong – but it is about so much more than just that. Li Qiao and Xiao-jun had such great chemistry in romance, in friendship, and in their partnership. Throughout the movie, Li Qiao teaches Xiao-jun how to fit into Hong Kong; Xiao-jun shows kindness and nurturing to the often confused and frustrated Li Qiao. Throughout the movie, we see them change due to each other, and due to their environment. We see both of them switch from being strong to vulnerable, balancing each other out. The character development in this movie is so realistic, and changes so subtly that you don’t realize just how different things are from the beginning. To me, this movie is so great because of its authenticity to the complications that people at that time period in Hong Kong were facing, whether it had to do with love, friendship, trying to earn money, or just acceptance.

Li Qiao showing her vulnerable side (though this scene isn’t really related to what I was talking about above. It was just good for mood matching).

Teresa Teng!!!:

Teresa Teng (Chinese: 鄧麗君 Dèng Lìjūn) was a huge theme in this movie. The title in Chinese is named after one of Teresa Teng’s songs of the same name, and is used as a reoccurring song throughout the movie. For those of you who don’t know, Teresa Teng was a really popular pop star, coming into fame in the 1970s, up until her death due to asthma in 1995. She was popular throughout East Asia – spanning from China, to Japan, and to Thailand. She remains one of the most influential, remembered, and loved singers in China, known for her beautiful and sweet voice. In this movie, Li Qiao and Xiao-jun bond over Teresa Teng’s lovely melodies throughout the film.

Xiao-jun and Li Qiao singing “Tián Mì Mì” by Teresa Teng as they ride on Xiao-Jun’s bike together.

Recommended for:

This movie is a great film for illustrating what life was like for people in China at the time who wanted to get away from China. It was just how things happened back then – there were more opportunities elsewhere. And as I am writing this, I remember to think about my parents, who are similar in to them in this respect. Not only is it a romance movie, it is a commentary about the life and struggles of people who were in similar situations to the characters in this film, and I think it is a very realistic one at that.

The only thing is, the movie isn’t the most exciting movie. A lot happens in the movie – it spans years of their lives – but whether or not it is “exciting” or “interesting” depends on what you like. It is really a movie about life over anything else. If you don’t want to watch two hours of some people living, then this might not be for you. Also, because most people (me included) have not been through this kind of struggle, it might not really resonate with you if you aren’t interesting in these kinds of movies at all. Finally, if you don’t speak either of the languages (like you don’t know how to say anything in Cantonese or Mandarin), you will miss some subtle details about what the characters are like and how their speech changes. Oh, there are also some unbelievable coincidences in this movie that make it not so realistic – however, if you don’t suspend your disbelief at least a little while watching movies… I don’t see how you can get through most films.

This photo is kind of random; just Maggie Cheung in the movie as Li Qiao, looking beautiful as always : )

In-depth scene analysis and spoilers section:

Blah blah blah spoilers ahead. I’m going to keep this section short anyway.

Pao! (and other side characters):

I really liked the side characters added into this movie. They really made the whole movie come to life – as moving to a new place usually involves interaction with more than just one person. Pao (played by Eric Tsang) was probably the character with the third most lines. I grew to really like his character, although he came off as kind of sleazy at the beginning. He became really sweet eventually, and you could see that he really cared for Li Qiao. I was pretty sad when he died at the end, because he was someone Li Qiao really cared for too, and now she was alone again. I have to admit though, whenever I see Eric Tsang in a serious movie, it always throws me off, because I grew up watching him in Chinese variety shows. But that quickly subsided as their relationship grew.

Aside from Pao, I really enjoyed watching Xiao-jun’s interactions with the other people he met, and with the character that we met. His aunt Rosie (played by Irene Tsu) was particularly interesting, with her obsession with William Holden. The story was really sweet, and it almost brought me to happy tears as she was recalling the story in her letter/will to Xiao-jun. Rosie’s story perhaps showed kind of a romantic view of America/Americans as Hong Kong and people living in Hong Kong were getting more westernized. Aside from Aunt Rosie, I was happy to see that Xiao-jun had made some true friends throughout the movie.

Man, I cracked up when I saw this. What a cute thing to do to get a girl to smile.

TLDR; and ratings:

Recommended for: People who are interested in seeing what life was like for someone from Mainland China to go to Hong Kong to make a living in the late 80s to early 90s, someone looking for a movie about relationships with people in general
Not recommended for: People who don’t like lots of coincidences, people who are not interested in the synopsis at all (it will literally be that and not much else)

Visuals: 6.5-7/10 – Didn’t talk about this much. The movie is quite dated, so I don’t know if this rating is that accurate or if I am just focusing too much on that… But they do do some interesting shots in the film, and we do get to see some nice shots of Hong Kong (and other places). Overall though, the camera wasn’t trying to do anything too adventurous or super noteworthy.
Music: 7.5/10 – Okay I’m a bit biased about this one because I like Teresa Teng. BUT, she is kind of central to their story, and the other music used was pretty good at creating the right mood for certain scenes.
Overall: 8/10 – I really liked this movie for its realism to the subject, and it is a synopsis that interests me because I know that it is something that people in my family have faced. I loved the characters in the movie, and I thought they developed really well throughout the film. It is a must watch if you are interested in this subject at all.

MOVIE REVIEW: Wong Kar-wai’s IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000)

Hello folks!

This will be my first ever movie “review” (not intended to be taken very seriously in any way). It is of one of my favourite films, which I had just re-watched yesterday so it’s still fresh in my memory. I hope my review can do it some justice (though I doubt it). If you don’t want to read everything and you are just here for the final verdict, go down to the TLDR; at the bottom.

Maggie Cheung (left) as Mrs. Chan, and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (right) as Mr. Chow (or Chow Mo-Wan)

Synopsis and spoiler-free analysis portion:

In the Mood for Love (Chinese: 花樣年華) is a HK film directed by one of my favourite directors, Wong Kar-wai. The movie is set in Hong Kong in the sixties, and it stars Maggie Cheung as Mrs. Chan, and Tony Leung Chiu-wai as Chow Mo-wan (also known as Mr. Chow). Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow move in next door to each other in the same apartment building; they soon discover that their spouses have been cheating on them with each other (Chow’s wife with Mrs. Chan’s husband), and they start to develop a platonic friendship through this development. It is a widely acclaimed film (though I don’t know anyone who has watched it other than my parents) and it is considered to be one of Wong Kar-wai’s best, and most visually beautiful films.

A visually beautiful film

First, I would just like to point out how much I love the Chinese title: 花樣年華 (pronounced fa yeung nin wa in Cantonese), which, literally, means something like “the time that the flowers are in full bloom”. There is just something so romantic about that title – and I think it represents the film better than the English title does (though the English title isn’t bad either). Like the Chinese title suggests, this film is a visually stunning masterpiece – without the help of crazy CGI and whatnot. From the smoke coming from Mr. Chow’s cigarettes as he smokes alone, to the various beautiful, floral patterned qipao (旗袍 – kei po in Cantonese), the traditional Chinese dresses that Mrs. Chan wears throughout the movie – all come together to create a beautiful film.

Maggie Cheung has never looked more beautiful – I guarantee that during the time that you are watching this film, you cannot think of any woman more beautiful than her as Mrs. Chan. But it wasn’t just her clothes and her makeup and her hair that made her that way, but Cheung portrayed her perfectly. From the way Mrs. Chan carried herself – in her posture, in her stride, in her facial expression – was really true to her character, a refined and restrained, professional and elegant woman who is unhappy with her marriage. Tony Leung Chiu-wai also embodied Mr. Chow pretty perfectly too – as a handsome, soft-spoken, lonely, and self-contained newspaper writer. The chemistry developed between these two characters was fascinating to watch, and very realistic (more on that below). The way they share their loneliness, pain, and anxiety together, their subtle flirting and courting, the way they talk to each other with their eyes… I can honestly watch their interactions forever. If you like Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, I think you’d really enjoy this movie. These characters they portray are at the height of being “subtly cool” and infinitely romantic.

Mrs. Chan walking down the hallway of a hotel. She is wearing a red coat over a white and black qipao. In this scene, the camera cuts between footage of the flowing curtains in the hallway and her pacing between floors.

The smoke motif used in the movie; Mr. Chow is at his desk at work, after hours.

Recommended for:

If you’re thinking about watching this film, I would definitely recommend it to you if you like films that are really focused on visual aspects – through sets, costumes, camera, and of course acting. It has a great score as well, that really highlights the loneliness of the characters and the longing between our protagonists. I will say the film progresses a little slow though, especially if you’re looking for a movie with a lot of passionate make-outs and a lot of sex; the title might suggest that there there will be a lot of amorous activities acted out in the movie – there won’t be. The beauty of the storytelling lies with the subtly of the acting.

Mrs. Chan thinking as she looks out the window from her apartment. She is wearing a blue qipao with a yellow daffodil pattern.

Longer analysis (SPOILERS AHEAD!):

You have been warned. Scroll down to the ratings and TLDR; if you don’t want to see this! These will be analyses of specific scenes.

The chemistry between Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow:

Like I’ve mentioned before, if you were reading the entire time, the chemistry between Mrs. Chan and Mr. Chow is incredible and believable. They don’t talk a lot in the film – at least not compared to what I’m used to seeing. It’s not a film where the man comes up with an endless amount of witty lines to charm the woman, or where the woman’s enchanting personality captivates the man like no other beauty before her could (you know which movies I’m referring to…). It’s a film that starts off with a man and a woman, neighbours, wanting to be platonic friends. But as the film progresses, it becomes clearer and clearer that they aren’t simply friends. We are first made aware of this when Mr. Chow says the magical “hook-up” words, “Let’s not go home tonight” or “Let’s stay out tonight” (depending on what your translated version says); it is only seconds later that we realize they are reenacting a scene. As we move through the movie, we see Mr. Chow longing for Mrs. Chan more and more, and she eventually starts developing feelings for Mr. Chow as well.

Longing – that’s the word for it. Long shots of Mr. Chow staring at Mrs. Chan as she broods over how she feels about this awkward situation that they’ve found themselves in with each other’s spouses; and she eventually broods about their own relationship. Long shots of Mr. Chow inching towards Mrs. Chan’s hand as they ride a taxi together, only to have her pull away, until finally, in their last car ride together, she holds his hand back. Their implied amorous activities finally release the sexual tension that is in the air between the two, but the longing doesn’t end their; we carry it until the end of the film (and beyond, for me) of wanting more, but never receiving. It really does create the “mood” of love, as we succumb to the pain of an unrequited relationship. It’s not even happening to us, yet we feel the pain as they do.

Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan sitting inside of the taxi.

A visually beautiful film (part 2):

There are many notable visually stunning scenes here – my favourite is the one where Mrs. Chan rushes to the hotel where Mr. Chow is staying to write his story. She is wearing a white qipao with a black flower pattern, with a red coat over top. The contrast between the eye-catching red coat and the muted qipao alone is already so beautiful. But even more so is the way the camera follows Mrs. Chan up and down the stairs and through the corridors as she makes the decision to go to – or to bail on – Mr. Chow’s invitation. Her motions and emotions are frantic and afraid and uncertain and it made the audience (or me at least) feel the same. Flashing between the hotel structure and herself, the camera is barely able to follow up with Mrs. Chan’s movements – it is only when Mr. Chan opens the door to greet her do we feel release. Now that is storytelling by the camera done right.

The red curtains flowing in the hallway leading to Mr. Chow’s hotel room where he awaits Mrs. Chan.

 

Another scene which I’m sure a lot of people found really stunning was the final scene where Mr. Chow is in Cambodia, and he is talking into the hole. Long shots of the canyons and rocks are seen against a blue sky. Lovely, yes, and really the only “picturesque” landscape scene we get from the movie. However, I’m not a complete fan of this – I agree it’s beautiful, but for some kind of reason it doesn’t sit well with me against the rest of the film. It doensn’t look like it fits the sixties era very well… which the rest of the film excels at. It really does illuminate Mr. Chow’s loneliness though.

Favourite scene(s):

There are so many good scenes in this movie. One of my favourites is the scene where Mr. Chow first calls Mrs. Chan to “consult with her about his wife’s birthday present.” They play innocent as they talk to each other, each of them trying to get information from each other, each of them trying to say things without saying anything. It was really clever – and the second time around watching it, I picked up on some things prior to this scene that adds to this scene (like when Mrs. Chan asks her husband to buy two of the same handbags for her boss – one for his mistress and one for his wife).

Another thing I loved was their reoccurring “bit” to act out hypothetical situations, the first one being the scene where Mr. Chow suggests, “Let’s not go home tonight.” They then go on to reenact Mrs. Chan asking her husband if he has a mistress, and also to her reacting to Mr. Chow leaving to Singapore. I thought all of these were so funny – especially after the first time watching it, when I finally realized they were joking.

From the first time Mr. Chow invites Mrs. Chan out to a diner to talk.

TLDR;

Recommended for: People who like art films, fans of Wong Kar-wai, Maggie Cheung, or Tony Leung Chiu-wai, and the romantics

NOT recommended for: People who can’t stand subtly or “implied” actions, people who are looking for a lot of passion and making out and sex, people with little patience (the pacing is a little slow, and I can see it being a turn off for people who can’t deal with that), and people looking for a standard Hollywood rom-com

RATINGS:

Visuals: 10/10 – Truly a beautiful movie. I want to own all of Mrs. Chan’s qipaos. The camera was great at assisting with the subtle visual storytelling, where the dialogue was missing.
Story: 9/10 – I think it’s a pretty good romance story, but the first time watching it, I found that it kind of lacked closure. I’m okay now. I felt that it was INCREDIBLE at evoking mood.
Overall enjoyment: 10/10 – It wasn’t a 10/10 the first time I watched it (close, but it wasn’t) but I couldn’t get it out of my head. And the more I thought about it, the more I loved it. And it’s a 10/10 now. Even if you don’t know Cantonese and are only relying on subtitles (I will say that some of the subtitles in my version were not completely sufficient in terms of creating a sense of character through the dialogue) it’s still a really good watch if you’re looking for a mood-evoking, visually stunning romance film.

EXTRAS: Found this super funny clip on Critereon about a dancing scene that was filmed but cut from the movie. It is my new favourite thing:

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2499-in-the-mood-for-dancing