Lan se da men (2002)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Chin-yen Yee

Writer:

Chin-yen Yee (writer)

Release Date:

27 September 2002 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

An is-she-or-isn't-she gay comedy focused on a Taiwanese teen, the boy she might like, and the girl she may love. |

Plot Keywords:

Taiwan | Bicycling | Closeted Homosexual | Love Triangle | Platonic Love

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Bo-lin Chen	...	Zhang Shihao
Lunmei Kwai	...	Meng Kerou
Shu-hui Liang	...	Lin Yuezhen
Joanna Chou	...	Mrs. Meng

Also Known As:

Blue Gate Crossing (France) (International: English title)

Runtime:

Canada:85 min | USA:85 min

Country:

Taiwan | France

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud)

Company:

Arc Light Films

Soundtrack:

Accidently Kelly Street

Simple, elegant, beautiful.

Upon seeing it at the AFI Fest, Yee Chin-yen's "Blue Gate Crossing" instantly became one of my favorite pictures of 2003.

The premise is very simple, and yet it is one of those about which the less is said, the better. Simply put, it examines the effect on two girls, best friends in high school, when one has a crush from afar on a boy, and the other actually starts talking to him. The writing is delicate, the performances completely natural and real. Even the look of the movie -- echoing Wong Kar-Wai's elegantly composed, florescent-lit romances -- is stylish without being over-stylized. The narrative is never forced, and yet the ground covered encompasses the awkwardness of a first kiss, the vagaries of sexual orientation, the safety of fantasy over reality, and the nature of friendship -- both the kinds that just happen and those that come about because they've been earned. Finally, the last minute of this movie made a mess of me, I haven't gushed so hard since "Whale Rider."