Three Summers
Reviewed by YTSL
There are quite a few things that this Taiwan-Hong
Kong collaborative effort has got in its favor. Chief among them
is a very nice end sequence: Complete with an (actually completely
English subtitled) end song whose lyrics are as alternately wistful and
encouraging as its tune is lyrical; accompanied by wonderful aerial and
scenic views of largely rural Lantau Island along with a final lingering
shot of the individual who looms large in the life of the narrator.
It is one which this (re)viewer would rank up there with the best of (Hong
Kong) movie endings in its ability to evoke precisely the kind of bitter-sweet
emotions that can feel so powerful and "real".
THREE SUMMERS also benefits from having major
acting talents at its service. Although sweet-faced Wu Chien-Lien
and the charismatic Veronica Yip do feature in the 100 minute length offering,
I am actually referring more here to the two people whose characters' stories
are at the heart of this rural "coming of age" drama: Debut-making
and Hong Kong Film Awards Best Newcomer nominee, Cherie Chan, an actual
Lantau Island villager playing one whose life is affected by urban folk
-- including a New Zealand resident and a man originally from the U.S.A.
as well as visitors from more built up parts of Hong Kong -- in addition
to her fellow villagers; and Tony Leung Chiu Wai, an A list actor who is
immensely convincing in his role as the elder brother who is idolized as
well as loved by his younger sibling but has worries and frustrations of
his own.
In such as director Lawrence Ah Mon and executive
producer Sylvia Chang, there also are quite a few respected names in the
crew list of this earnest feeling production. This notwithstanding,
my sense is that there could have been a better script than that which
has been co-credited to the director (whose "Gangs" and "Spacked Out" make
a strong case for the South African-born man's being a most expert chronicler
of Hong Kong youth), executive producer (one of whose previous co-scriptwriting
as well as on-screen efforts had been "All About Ah Long"), Cheung Tat
Ming and Bill Yip.
To be sure, Ah Mon and Co. deserve some praise
for their decision to pay attention to socially responsible people -- including
an interracial couple (referred to in the English subtitles as Mr. and
Mrs. Veggie!) in charge of an experimental environmentalist educational
project whose main participants are urban high schoolers -- who are not
usually represented in (Hong Kong) movies. It also was interesting
to see points being made about time irrevocably changing people as well
as healing the emotional and physical wounds who need to go on with their
lives. However, the obviously well intentioned script and movie could
have done with some time-saving trimming and better linkage (the film's
rather disjointed feel might or might not have been due to its focusing
on events occuring over a single season of three years). THREE SUMMERS
also suffers from certain situations depicted in it feeling too moralistic
or good to ring true (though I did think that the sections featuring the
monk friend of Ah Wai were well done).
Then there were the rather hackneyed bids to introduce
danger and glamour into otherwise fairly mundane proceedings by way of
having people be involved in love triangles -- or, in Wu Chien Lien's Flora's
case, a love quadrangle -- and a key individual's crossing the paths of
Triads while in the city (Trivia note: Paul Fonoroff reported that
the Hong Kong title for the film had been changed to highlight this secondary
element even while the Taiwanese stuck with the Chinese version of THREE
SUMMERS). Still, those who thrill at the prospect of seeing Veronica
Yip and Tony Leung Chiu Wai in a love scene that came about from that venture
might not complain too much about this!
Fans of the sultry actress ought to be warned
though that she is more a guest star than major player in this message-
and issue-oriented movie. Similarly, Wu admirers should note that
the Taiwanese beauty really doesn't get that much opportunity to shine
in THREE SUMMERS. Rather, Lantau Island is highlighted more:
With life there forming a great part of the main story rather than just
the backdrop; and the scenes of Tai O village elders gossiping while playing
mahjong, children flying kites by the pier, a dragon boat race and the
transportation of a religious statue to a new home being as lovingly filmed
as either Wu's famous face or Yip's infamous body. For these and
other reasons, my sense is that this 1992 work is not going to appeal to
that many (overseas) Hong Kong movie fans. However those looking
for a change of pace and scenery could do worse than to check out this
rather atypical offering.
My rating for the film: 6.5