Hong Kong's urban exoticism caught on film [The Korea Times]

HONG KONG — For many Koreans Hong Kong cinema evokes a nostalgic pang for dark action flicks or upbeat romantic comedies from decades past, yet the region’s leading film showcase demonstrates how it continues to inspire fans near and far.

The 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) kicked off Sunday with two opening films that offer multifaceted views and insights to the city’s urban exoticism — the screwball romance “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” and the shorts collection “Quattro Hong Kong 2.”

“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” brings together a glittery cast: mainland sweetheart Gao Yuanyuan, who crept into Korean hearts through Hur Jin-ho’s “A Good Way Knows” opposite Jung Woo-sung, gets tangled in a love triangle with the island’s heartthrobs Louis Koo and Daniel Woo.

It’s a delectable date movie that will sell well in Asian theaters — yet co-directors Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai attest to their iconic status in the local creative scene — albeit thoroughly mainstream, their work softens even the most jaded critics through the classic cure-all: innovative and polished storytelling.

Gao stars as an ordinary young woman working for one of Hong Kong’s financial institutes. The hours are flying by on the eve of the Asian Financial Crisis yet her heart’s clock has seized, failing to move past the breakup with a cheating boyfriend. But Central District’s claustrophobic urban design sets the stage for an uncanny office romance, as the executive of a neighboring firm (Koo) spies on the lonely beauty from his window.

Though love blooms through colorful post-it window displays and spontaneous mime games, our heroine fears her boyfriend to-be is yet another philandering heartbreaker. She is forced to make choices, however, when she crosses paths with a depressed architect (Wu), a modern-day, high-fidelity charming prince.

The film could have easily ended several times before it actually does, as the protagonist indecisively wavers between the two men in her life. But every time the story starts to drag ever so slightly, the filmmakers spices things up with clever twists and bouts of laughter.

Moreover, the movie offers an incisive look into the unique cityscape of Hong Kong and the people who inhabit it, which pave the way for more universal themes of love and the nature of modern-day relationships.

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Er,maybe I have to study English angin...