Film review: Last Romance – Maggie Cheung, Cherie Chung play best friends in Yonfan’s poignant 1988 melodrama
Loosely adapted from Yi Shu’s novel, this emotional roller coaster, back on re-release, is an unlikely hit that should not be missed by any fans of the two Hong Kong stars
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 22 August, 2017, 5:05pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 22 August, 2017, 5:51pm
Related topics
4/5 stars
Two of Hong Kong’s most adored screen goddesses lend their girlish charm to Last Romance, re-released 29 years after it became a rare commercial hit in the career of art-house director Yonfan.
While its fashion and social setting are somewhat dated, the 1988 film still packs a punch with its deeply poignant tale of friendship and love that is repeatedly derailed by materialistic greed and lamentable life decisions.
Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Cherie Chung Chor-hung play Nancy and So-so, best friends since age 17. Romantic yet unadventurous, Nancy soon settles for a thankless job at a fashion company and enters her mid-20s without ever being in a relationship. Meanwhile, So-so plots aggressively to rise above her humble family background, stopping her education early to work as a nightclub hostess. She then surrounds herself with rich older men, before agreeing to marry one for money.
Photographer and filmmaker Yonfan talks retirement and Wong Kar-wai
The pair’s friendship comes under threat when their mutual high school crush, Jia-ming (Shingo Tsurumi, also in 1986’s Immortal Story), re-enters the picture. Nancy is helplessly smitten with Jia-ming, but Jia-ming only has eyes for So-so. However, So-so proceeds with her marriage despite knowing that Jia-ming is her one true love. Meanwhile, the Sino-British negotiations over Hong Kong and the 1987 financial crash bring tragedy to the characters in more ways than one.
Melodramatic yet admirably unpretentious, Last Romance evokes a world of melancholy regrets, in which characters are trapped as much by unfulfilled romantic desire as they are by their misguided belief in their own capitalist pursuits.
Film review: Prince of Tears – Yonfan’s lush 1950s melodrama
The unfortunate love triangle aside, Yonfan manages to capture the transience of youthful optimism through the changes in Cheung and Chung’s characters, who vividly lose their innocence over the course of 10 years.
The gorgeous but rather loose adaptation of Yi Shu’s novel simply shouldn’t be missed by any Hong Kong movie fan who is remotely enamoured by the two stars. It really is quite an experience seeing Cheung and Chung – who were both in their prime – playing off each other in this emotional roller coaster of a film.
Last Romance opens on August 25
Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook
Most Popular
Viewed
- 1
![Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA]( "Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA")
- 2
![Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’]( "Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’")
- 3
![Chinese American actress who plays female lead Rachel Chu in Kevin Kwan novel adaptation talks about growing up in Virginia, following her dreams with her family’s support, and how she pushed to secure her role]( "Chinese American actress who plays female lead Rachel Chu in Kevin Kwan novel adaptation talks about growing up in Virginia, following her dreams with her family’s support, and how she pushed to secure her role")
- 4
![Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday]( "Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday")
- 5
![The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom]( "The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom")
Shared
- 1
![Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’]( "Malaysian actress can’t wait to see how her friends in Asia react to the film of Kevin Kwan’s novel about Asian high society, and says she worked hard to make her character relatable in a film that’s ‘very representative of who we are’")
- 2
![Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA]( "Chinese actress Li Bingbing attends the US premiere of “The Meg”at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood. Photo: EPA")
- 3
![Chinese American actress who plays female lead Rachel Chu in Kevin Kwan novel adaptation talks about growing up in Virginia, following her dreams with her family’s support, and how she pushed to secure her role]( "Chinese American actress who plays female lead Rachel Chu in Kevin Kwan novel adaptation talks about growing up in Virginia, following her dreams with her family’s support, and how she pushed to secure her role")
- 4
![Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday]( "Walt Disney Studios tweeted the first image of Liu Yifei as the famed Chinese heroine for the live-action Mulan on Monday")
- 5
![The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom]( "The mixed-race actor who plays the leading man in the big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s novel talks about his struggle with identity issues of the sort the film raises, and how losing his anonymity is a price he’s willing to pay for stardom")
Commented
- 1
![Redcore, which recently raised 250 million yuan (US$36 million) in funding, said on its website that its browser had ‘broken the American monopoly’]( "Redcore, which recently raised 250 million yuan (US$36 million) in funding, said on its website that its browser had ‘broken the American monopoly’")
- 2
![Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force planes, including a H-6K bomber (rear), conducts drills on April 26, 2018. he formation flew over the Miyako Strait and Bashi Channel. Photo: Xinhua]( "Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force planes, including a H-6K bomber (rear), conducts drills on April 26, 2018. he formation flew over the Miyako Strait and Bashi Channel. Photo: Xinhua")
- 3
![A top Beijing official said the HKNP leader could be prosecuted under Article 9 of the Crimes Ordinance. But local legal minds say that requires incitement to violence.]( "A top Beijing official said the HKNP leader could be prosecuted under Article 9 of the Crimes Ordinance. But local legal minds say that requires incitement to violence.")
- 4
![Sailors preapre FA-18 Hornet fighter jets for take off during a routine training aboard the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea on April 10. The carrier was on its way to the Philippines at the time. Photo: AFP]( "Sailors preapre FA-18 Hornet fighter jets for take off during a routine training aboard the US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea on April 10. The carrier was on its way to the Philippines at the time. Photo: AFP")
- 5
![Visits to Alibaba, Geely and drone maker DJI are on the cards as the Malaysian leader attempts to soothe Chinese concerns over the US$20 billion worth of Beijing-linked deals suspended since he came to power]( "Visits to Alibaba, Geely and drone maker DJI are on the cards as the Malaysian leader attempts to soothe Chinese concerns over the US$20 billion worth of Beijing-linked deals suspended since he came to power")
You may also like
Highs and lows of out-of-this-world, deep-sea music performances
In partnership with: Leisure and Cultural Services Department
STAMFORD STUDENTS SPILL THE BEANS ON THEIR SCHOOL
Brought to you by: Stamford American School Hong Kong
Comments: