lovestory - of satisfaction and disorientation
love story is about everything all at the same time. it's got elements of the two most popular movie genres - horror and romance. and it amalgamates other different forms of art in one film - literature (the protagonist is a writer) and theatre (there is a play within the film). my favourite character in the film was actually the cantonese speaking book publisher played by ben yeung - very real, very comical.
i also particularly liked the mysterious lady decked in black such that only her striking eyes were visible, all the while chanting something under her breath non-stop. that character for me worked. she tugged at my heartstrings, made me feel something that i can't pen down accurately, everytime she appeared. must be something about the eyes.
the film had a non-linear structure and was straddling between different planes of reality. on one level there is the writer and his real life now, struggling to write another book for his publisher. on another level, there is the writer recounting his past love relationships with different women (a mysterious woman who is dressed in black and can't stop reciting something, ericia lee the policewoman nympho and evelyn tan the geek librarian), and then there is also the theatre play going on which has an independent temporal concept altogether.
i liked the intricate structure of the film, and it is my humble opinion that it takes a certain level of depth and maturity to be able to conceptualise and direct a piece of work like that.
having said that, even though i liked the film, i can't boast of being a fan of the film, neither can i lay claims to having a total understanding of what kelvin tong means in every frame of his film. some parts of the film, admittedly, remain beyond my grasp and understanding.
nonetheless, it was a moving, contemplative, and very personal piece of work, i felt. it is also my opinion that it is a very worthy show for a local piece of work.
i also particularly liked the mysterious lady decked in black such that only her striking eyes were visible, all the while chanting something under her breath non-stop. that character for me worked. she tugged at my heartstrings, made me feel something that i can't pen down accurately, everytime she appeared. must be something about the eyes.
the film had a non-linear structure and was straddling between different planes of reality. on one level there is the writer and his real life now, struggling to write another book for his publisher. on another level, there is the writer recounting his past love relationships with different women (a mysterious woman who is dressed in black and can't stop reciting something, ericia lee the policewoman nympho and evelyn tan the geek librarian), and then there is also the theatre play going on which has an independent temporal concept altogether.
i liked the intricate structure of the film, and it is my humble opinion that it takes a certain level of depth and maturity to be able to conceptualise and direct a piece of work like that.
having said that, even though i liked the film, i can't boast of being a fan of the film, neither can i lay claims to having a total understanding of what kelvin tong means in every frame of his film. some parts of the film, admittedly, remain beyond my grasp and understanding.
nonetheless, it was a moving, contemplative, and very personal piece of work, i felt. it is also my opinion that it is a very worthy show for a local piece of work.