The Accident
I continue to be surprised and impressed by some
of the smaller films coming from HK that are exploring relationships and
sexuality in a very mature manner. It feels as if the near death of action
films has opened the door for these other type of adult oriented films.
Last year it was Stanley Kwan’s Hold You Tight and now he is the producer
of The Accident. The director is Julien Lee.
The film dramatically and effectivly weaves together
three stories of loneliness, sexual desire, a need to be touched, a need
to hold someone and a need to be loved during a 24-hour period. It’s done
beautifully as Lee shows a very deft hand in keeping all three stories
going at the same time as he shifts constantly from one to the other. He
slowly builds each story and creates very real characters so that in the
end you feel some of their emptiness, some of their sadness.
Andrew Lien is a tour operator in China and he
is going to HK by train to meet his girlfriend, Gigi Lai. There has been
an accident on the train tracks though and there won’t be any trains until
the morning. So he goes to a hotel to stay the night where it turns out
a blue movie is being filmed. The star of the blue movie is Almen Wong
and she gives a wonderful performance as this sexy yet very lonely woman
who just wants to feel normal, to feel loved again. She desperately seeks
out Andrew and he is only to happy to comply – for one night.
Gigi in HK doesn’t know what has happened to Andrew,
but as the night wears on she begins to feel that he has deserted her and
she too begins to need and look for human companionship. Though she is
perhaps the least interesting of the main characters, it was good seeing
her in a film like this with a grown-up role.
The most interesting and most graphic of the three
stories centers on a taxi driver – played perfectly by Ben Ng. Ng is in
financial trouble, but is able to borrow some money from Christine Ng –
who though married has strong feelings for Ben. What she is unaware of
is that Ben is much more interested in men. He picks up a young street
hustler (Wong Hei) and the two of them share the night in the back of the
cab.
The movie is beautifully textured with some stunning
images – such as a couple that just had a motorcycle accident – and as
they lie on the street covered in blood the camera goes in for a close
up of their hands reaching and finally finding one another.
It is just a very different and interesting
film with excellent acting from all.