LAN YU: Powerful as it is Provcative
Hong Kong's very versatile Stanley Kwan's quietly poignant LAN YU tells the story of a middle-aged, successful businessman becoming involved with a first-time male prostitute who quickly grows to love his client. In a series of very revealing vignettes spread out over the course of several years and many stages of their on again / off again affair, Kwan seduces his audience with an extremely adroit portrait of two very different individuals who are only able to express their true feelings when faced with very cataclysmic, life-altering situations. The two leading male characters' performances really stand out as very brave and authentic and the director's handling of the material is firm and exquisite through the camera work as well as the story arc which is quite efficiently mastered in a little under and hour and a half. Extremely well worth the viewing for a very unique love story!