Cast: Nicholas Tse, Karena Lin/Lam, Eason Chan Yik Shun, Candy Lo Hau Yam
I love it when a movie surprises me. It's just not possible to live in Hong Kong (HK), walk past the magazine vendors every day and have HK friends and NOT know about the bratty, bad boy-ness of Nicholas Tse. He of the on-again off-again Faye Wong boyfriend notoriety, he of the arrogant interview fame and worse - car accidents and speeding incidents. When I watched "Jade Goddess of Mercy", I went to see it for Zhao Wei, who I think is one of the most sweet-faced actresses around. The movie was almost unbearably tragic and gut-wrenching, but the performance put in by Nicholas Tse was extremely impressive. Not enough to make me feel like seeing another movie by him though, just enough to make me note that he was a passable actor.
Then I watched "New Police Story" in which he overshadowed the weepy Jackie Chan and the sweet-faced Daniel Wu. In typical style, off I went to an HMV and for a paltry HK$20, picked up a copy of "Tiramisu" which turned out to be a surprisingly endearing and touching little gem of a movie.
A lot of people will not like this movie. LoveHKFilm described it as an "ambitious fantasy-romance" in which director Dante Lam "reaches too high to create a HK-style Titanic, but ultimately finds itself without anything to stand on". NixFlix was also equally harsh, describing it as: "filled with such nonsensical explanations, and every one of them seems to have been made up on the spot, or at least without much thought".
Nonetheless, I am not always swayed by the reviewers. I agree that the film is difficult to classify. It's a combination of romance, fantasy, ghost story and also the whole triumph of the human spirit via dancing genre that we have seen in movies like "Flashdance", "Save the Last dance", "Fame", etc.
Nicholas Tse stars as Fung, a deaf postal worker who encounters Jane (Karena Lam) (bears a striking resemblance to one of the Twins!). In the course of only one day, the two of them cross paths four times.
In particular, one encounter on the MTR is particularly romantic and portrayed very well and convincingly, with the sweet couple staring meaningfully at one another without a word.
On their final meeting, she drops a book containing photographs and he attempts to return it to her by revisiting their chance meeting places. Unfortunately, Jane never appears and we discover in a rather spooky scene that Jane was killed in a bus accident. As she was thinking of Fung at the same time he was thinking of her, he now has the ability to see and hear her even though she is a ghost. To his credit, Fung handles it remarkably well although he is understandably freaked out at first.
As a ghost, she is only able to come out at night. During the day, she resides in Fung's body resulting in comical, yet undeniably sweet, results. Suddenly he is able to hear again and can even dance like Jane. Their conversations and dual shopping trips are as funny, as they are touching.
Jane has a number of unresolved issues she must address before moving into her next life. She and her dance company were to participate in a major dance competition and Jane's dance partner Tina (Candy Lo) finds that the loss of her friend makes it almost impossible for her to continue. Can I just say that as someone who doesn't generally like Candy Lo, I found her grief quite moving and genuine. Jane's grief at losing her mother, father and little sister are also extremely well-portrayed. One profoundly disturbing moment is Jane's attendance at her own funeral.
Further tension and suspense is added by the existence of "Ghost Cops" who are scary, masked and cloaked creatures on horses whose task it is to drag recalcitrant souls into the underworld. They could have been cheesy but they work quite well as they provide an added suspense to the fledgling romance between the bashful Fung and the equally bashful Jane.
The performance of the actors made me less inclined to ask the logical questions I would normally ask - photographs of ghosts, why is Hell in France, why is Jane going to hell, how does Fung get into Hell and so on ..... I agree with reviewers who say that the film would have worked better if it had focussed more on the relationship beween Karena Lam and Nicholas Tse.
Lam is extremely appealing, although seems to be condemned to the Pouty Little Girl face of all HK actresses.
Nicholas Tse gives a very low-key and understated performance which is extremely sympathetic and convincing.
You really like Fung - he's appealing, hopeful and loving. His acting is never cheesy and he is very expressive - even when eating an exploratory spoonful of tiramisu.
Let's contrast him to the rather annoying use of Eason Chan as Buddy - Fung's horoscope-obssessed roommate who is doomed to break up with all of his girlfriends within 3 days. The "relationship" with Candy Lo was a little contrived, but given that it didn't receive too much screen time, I can live with it.
All in all, even the dance sequences which bordered on cheese were a lot of fun. I'm not sure if that was Nicholas tapping away in the studio but hey it was fun and exhilirating. I'd also like to add - Nicholas Tse has mastered the subtlety of the screen-kiss. Much as I adore Tony Leung, watching the way he devoured his co-stars faces as if he was trying to suck the life force out of them kind of grossed me out.
A Hero Born (Legend of the Condor Heroes)Jin Yong English Translation Book 1
A Bond Undone (Legend of the Condor Heroes)Jin Yong English Translation Book 2
Reviewed by: koalabear
November 22, 2004