Lan Yu (2001)

So much average

Absolutely brilliant

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

As a film, "Lan Yu" can be classified as a simple love story whose protagonists make their intentions clear as they have concrete ideas about how far their relationship would go. It can be surmised that this type of brutal honesty might be appreciated by a certain section of viewers. As this is one of the few original gay themed films to come out of Hong Kong, director Stanley Kwan steers clear of any undue controversy as his film briefly alludes to a time period when Tiananmen Square protests caused tremendous anguish in China. Lan Yu does feature some scenes of mild nudity. However, viewers would find them to be timid if a comparison is made with other gay themed films especially by directors such as François Ozon, Pedro Almodovar and Fassbinder. This film can also be seen in the backdrop of a bigger sociological phenomenon as according to a latest estimate 16 million women are married to gay men in China. This is exactly the fate of this film's hero as he too had to marry to save face. This aspect forms part of the second half which is rather weak. It is from here that the film begins to end on a sluggish note. Finally, Lan Yu is a good film for anybody interested in exploring films made by Stanley Kwan.

Although this movie is pretty limited in everything (scenes mostly confine to indoors, simple storyline, characters mostly just talk and do mundane stuff like eating), I still like it because it was able to pull me into the story and makes me care for the characters in it especially Lan Yu.Both lead actors acted well in their respective roles and have good chemistry. Their interaction is very natural and they really look like they love each other. I especially like looking at Liu Ye's facial expressions.I think Stanley Kwan made the right choice in focusing on the lovers. Honestly, like another reviewer said, I really don't care about what happen in Handong's marriage, or the details in Tiananmen Square or Handong's shady business. I also don't care that the movie didn't reflect any Chinese culture or make any social commentary. What I really care about is only Handong and Lan Yu.But I didn't give this movie 10 stars because Stanley Kwan/the scriptwriter could have done better with the time-line. He should make the time-line clearer, how much time has passed between each stage of the development of their relationship. The movie also could have been longer. It's too short!! :( The ending is actually pretty well done (although I still hate it). Made me want to cry when the song came on. The song lyrics is very suitable for this ending.

Generally I'm not a big fan of melodrama, and LAN YU is a classic, Sirk-league piece of melodrama, so I can't say I loved this film. But it is impressive in a number of ways - the depiction of intimacy, and of a slowly-developing relationship is very well done, and this film is very obviously the work of a thoughtful and talented filmmaker. I also liked the cinematography - very un-flashy, which serves the material well: a dry, slice-of-life look which stands apart from the dramatics of the plot, and definitely underscores the normality (or validity) of gay relationships, perhaps in a culture that is still coming to terms with such relationships. The dinner scenes - which are beautifully shot and staged - stand out.It should be noted that director Stanley Kwan has a handful of other artistically notable films to his credit, with ROUGE and ACTRESS generating acclaim around the globe. Kwan claims Hollywood melodramatist Douglas Sirk and Japanese contemporary dramatist Yasujiro Ozu as major influences, and both of those influences are apparent here - the studied, careful mis-en-scene of Ozu; and a story balanced between social critique and three-hanky melodrama, in the fashion of Sirk. Kwan is also one of a small (but growing) number of out Asian filmmakers, and noting this (and his artistic influences) helps to understand the overall importance of this film.If some of the most creative and engaging gay film being made today is coming from Asia, Europe and Latin America - which I believe to be true - then this film is definitely among the best of that wave. Worth a look.

I went to see "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with a young Chinese man who said to me, as if I didn't know this, "Of course it has a tragic ending. It's Chinese!" That awakening, plus seeing the movie in a Chinese filled theatre, taught me something. I rented "Lan Yu" expecting a Chinese movie. I didn't get one. There were no intense cultural overtones, just references. Mao, Tiannimen Square, Russians, yes. The matriarch's New Year's dinner was the closest thing to Chinese culture. But, of course, Beijing and Hong Kong are cosmopolitan. The plot even makes fun of Lan Yu being thrust into the city from the country.I put this movie in the category of "Parting Glances," "Steam," and "Love, Valor, Compassion," definitely not "Philadelphia." That's a high compliment for me. I've seen boring, "go for the audience impact" Gay movies. This isn't one, thank goodness. It's a love story with the complexity of approach/avoidance conflict, embraced by friends who are straight, even though the story is about Gay love. And it's about one-sided love, growing love, fearing the loss of love, committment anxiety, and all that, the same as in straight relationships. It has acceptance and tolerance and is totally devoid of sneers from the homophobic thrown in to thicken the plot.The character development is a little sparse, but actually we learn about them quickly. There's no long wind up. Skillful! The character depth is what grows. Lan Yu grows. His lover doesn't, until it's too late.The direction and photography were subtly superb. I didn't catch on until far into the film how good the photography was and placement of the characters. The acting was excellent -- or was it their direction?How interesting that the clearly more submissive character is the stronger one.Did those who hated this movie notice all of that, or are they jaded? I wouldn't like to be at a play or movie with them.Wonderful movie. I cried. I laughed. I'm still feeling it. Very few movies do that to me.