R E V I E W :    Lavender 

Reviewed 4/10/01 | Background | Movie Review | DVD Review | Recommendation

Background 

Universe / 2000 / 101 minutes
Directed by Riley Yip Kam-Hung
Written by Riley Yip Kam-Hung

Director Yip contributed to the script for Shaolin Intruders way back in 1983. His HKMDB resume is quiet until he served as executive producer for The Big Heat in 1988, production manager for Hearts No Flowers in 1989, co-writer for Fatal Passion in 1990, and assistant director for Centre Stage in 1992. (It's a positive commentary on the HK film industry that one person can work in such a variety of capacities!) He directed and co-wrote Love is Not a Game, But a Joke in 1997 and flew solo as writer/director with Metade Fumaca in 1999. The latter film was made under the auspices of production company UFO, as was Lavender.

The film opened in Hong Kong cinemas in December 2000 and grossed the tidy sum of HK $14.5 million.

Movie: plot, performances, production, rating

Plot: Aromatherapist Athena is grieving over a lost love. One night an angel crashes down onto her balcony. Rather surprisingly Athena turns a cold shoulder on the angel, who needs love to survive until his wing heals and the holy door opens so he can return to heaven. The angel (who takes the name Angel) passes the time by hanging out with Athena's next door neighbor, Chow Chow, develops a close personal relationship with a certain pair of shoes, and tries to warm up Athena's cold heart. Will Athena learn to love again?

Performances: Takeshi Kaneshiro oozes charm without appearing oily or insincere. His performance carries the film a long way. Kelly Chen Wai-Lam may be attractive, but here she is stuck with a role that makes little sense. What did she love about her former boyfriend besides his smell? Why is she so inhospitable toward the angel (she apparently has not lost her faith, since she still sends balloons heavenward with "I miss you" written on them)? That is the fault of the script, but she is not able to overcome these weaknesses and make the audience care about her character. Eason Chan Yik-Chun has some nice moments as Chow Chow; again, the script dances endlessly in other less fruitful areas and could have enlarged his part to enhance the core love story.

Production: Gorgeous photography by Kwan Pun-Leung is the highlight of the film (he also lensed two films for director Stanley Kwan Kam-Pang: Hold You Tight in 1998 and The Island Tales earlier in the year 2000). The score by Ronald Ng Luk-Sing (three of the Young and Dangerous films as well as The God of Cookery and the more recent Feel 100% II) is highly entertaining, enchanting and romantic without resorting to saccharine arrangements. Writer/director Riley Yip Kam-Hung is not able to strike a good balance. The film looks lovely but meanders and skips around, taking too long to arrive at its conclusion.

Rating: Category IIA. A few sexually suggestive scenes, but nothing too aggressive.

DVD: look, sound, subtitles, and features

Look: The letterboxed (1.85:1) presentation is excellent. The black levels are very deep, the colors are smashing, and the flesh tones look natural. The source print is very clean.

Sound: I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese audio, which sounded fine. The music is the highlight of the soundtrack, and it comes across very well. The surrounds are engaged frequently. Also included is a DD 5.1 Mandarin audio track.

Subtitles: The removable white English subtitles are easy to read and well-timed, although a few mistakes are evident. Also provided are subtitles in traditional and simplified Chinese.

Features: Eight scenes can be selected from a menu that features video clips. Stars' files are provided for Takeshi Kaneshiro and Kelly Chen Wai-Lam. The film's original theatrical trailer is included, as are trailers for Skyline Cruisers, Marooned, and Summer Holiday.

Buy, rent, or pass?

Rent. Low priority. A romantic film that can be maddening but is also gorgeous to look at and features a charming performance by Takeshi Kaneshiro.

 

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