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Cast:
Leon
Lai
Faye
Wong
Jiang
Yi Hong
Xiao
Hai
Chen
Jian Bin
Li
Tang
Zhou
Yee
Producer:
Chan
Sinn Gi
Han
Hong Fei
Gao
Feng Jun
Director:
Wilson
Yip
Score:
 
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LEAVING
ME, LOVING YOU
AKA:
Leaving Me Loving You
Year:
2004 Reviewer: Andrew
Saroch
While
Leon Lai has recently gone up in my estimations due to
superior performances in 'Infernal Affairs III' and 'Heroic
Duo', Faye Wong is an actress who still leaves little or no
impression on me. Undeniably photogenic, Wong just doesn't
seem to have any screen charm; even in the excellent 'Chungking
Express', she seemed to be overly reliant on 'kookiness' -
not a particularly strong recommendation. However, teaming
with Wilson Yip, a director whose new efforts should always be
eagerly anticipated, I had high hopes that my opinion would be
changed on Faye Wong.
In
the middle of the vast, pulsating city of Shanghai, a couple
are about to break up. Chow (Lai), a doctor, meets with event
organiser Yuet to discuss their future, or, more
appropriately, the closure of their love. After the two go
their separate ways, their only subsequent meetings are
strictly professional; Yuet acts as the creator for an
elaborate surprise birthday party for an elderly tycoon while
Chow is his personal doctor. As their necessary dealings with
each other increase, Chow begins to regret his decision and
pines away for his lost love. Yuet, meanwhile, is nursing a
broken heart and refuses to allow herself to feel close to her
ex-boyfriend once again. Nevertheless, their own love is
constantly put into perspective by the various people who
share their life.
The
one definite virtue of 'Leaving Me, Loving You' is that it
makes the city of Shanghai look utterly breathtaking. Although
I don't doubt that the city is indeed a beautiful setting, I
doubt whether the Chinese government could produce a more
enticing travel documentary for potential tourists to the
city. Cinematographer Pun Yiu Ming bathes the shots of the
city in such exquisite colours and highlights the grandeur of
it alongside the jaw-dropping views taken from a few notable
vantage points. Unfortunately, the fact that this is the first
attribute of the film that comes to mind speaks volumes for
the quality of the more important components.
While
there's undoubtedly potential, the fact of the matter is that
the story is too thin to be stretched over a full 90 minutes.
In addition to this, there's simply no hook to make an
ordinary storyline elevate itself above the market; the
love/hate idea is not exactly cutting edge though this
wouldn't have been such a problem had their been some magical
moments to compensate. With Wilson Yip behind the lens an
audience should expect a romantic drama with much more
substance and humanity - with 'Leaving Me, Loving You' they
get neither.
One major difficulty with the narrative is that it's bourgeois
love story like every other one. That statement isn't me
getting left wing, but as this particularly niche is the
obsession of Hollywood and European cinema, 'Leaving Me,
Loving You' is devoid of anything that has the flavour of
local cinema. In the past, Hong Kong cinema has shown itself
to be adept at portraying love stories of the rich and
successful and the down to earth, but they always need that
local charm to succeed. 'Leaving Me, Loving You' is too
shallow to offer this.
Earlier
I discussed my indifference to Faye Wong. This isn't the film
that will change my mind though. Faye is certainly a beautiful
actress, but portrays so little in the way of real warmth that
you can see the icicles forming on the television screen. This
naturally means that there is little in the way of chemistry
between the leads which could be seen as a major weakness for
an intended romantic drama (it was released a few days before
Valentine's Day). The viewer is therefore left caring very
little about the two broken-hearted leads and the duration
therefore verges on being a chore. Wilson Yip tries a bit of
invention with the storyline, but its not enough for us to
stay interested.
As
Hong Kong cinema continues its rejuvenation and the troubles
of a few years ago are slowly exorcised, directors of Wilson
Yip's obvious talent need to push the industry to the next
level. 'Leaving Me, Loving You' isn't a film that is going to
do that though. The sensitivity and insight that Wilson Yip is
known for is lacking as is anything to make the characters
interesting. It is therefore sad to report that Wilson Yip's
new production is a soul-less effort and, coming shortly after
Riley Ip's disappointing 'Elixir Of Love', proof that good
film-makers sometimes struggle with the pressures of
commercial expectations.
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