JULY RHAPSODY A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Ann Hui's JULY RHAPSODY (LAAM YAN SEI SAP) is like the Yangtze river, a frequent subject of Lam's most loved poetry. The movie meanders gracefully and peacefully with a beautiful and deliberate slowness. In a nicely nuanced performance, Jacky Cheung plays Lam, a literature teacher at a Hong Kong high school. His noisy students couldn't care less what about his subject, but his heart is in it passionately, especially the poetry.
With a supportive wife, Ching (Anita Mui), and two good, teenage boys, Lam, at least on one level, has it all. But with a family secret and a freely flirtatious student, Wu (Karena Lam), Lam has a lot to deal with lately. A serious, pensive man, Lam's mind lately has been wandering back to his youth twenty years ago when Ching was a young fellow student. One of his fondest memories is of the fragrant smell of the shampoo on her pony-tailed hair. Since he sat behind her in class, his earliest memories of her were just of the back of her head.
Wu, who loves to get in Lam's face when she comes on to him, is confusing him. His memories of Ching are becoming fused with Wu's seductive exuberance. A rich extrovert who drives a new Porsche, Wu is the type of young woman who is used to having whatever her heart desires.
In a movie in which a closed door is used to represent sex, the story stays light-years away from either a typical Hollywood teen romance or another LOLITA. Much like last year's wonderful IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, also from Hong Kong, this touching film is mesmerizing, yet when you leave the theater you may find yourself surprised that so little happened. Ah, but what does is so exquisite.
JULY RHAPSODY runs 1:35. The film is in Cantonese with English and Mandarin subtitles. It is not rated but would be PG for mature themes and would be acceptable for kids around 10 and up.
The film does not yet have a United States release date. It will be playing as part of the 45th annual San Francisco International Film Festival (http://www.sfiff.org), which runs April 18 to May 2, 2002.
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