Ten of the best romantic movies in Asian cinema
With Valentine's Day near, Mathew Scott selects 10 of Asian cinema's best romantic movies
Asian romance films always seem to get a bad rap. In a region where the film industry's output has long been dominated by beefed-up action heroes and horror-movie monsters, the common perception is that those looking for a little love have to wade through productions that seem to focus more on pain and perversity than the simple pleasures love can bring. That or the films come so sick with saccharine as to make them indigestible.
Not that there's anything wrong with wandering over to the dark side once in a while, or to spend some time with that innocent inner child, but to think that Asian romance is only about the far reaches of the soul fails to give the genre the credit or the respect it deserves.
never has the director's work been filled with such a sense of longing
With a double dose of Valentine's Day just around the corner - this year the Chinese and Western varieties fall on the same date - here's a look back at 10 classic films that'll help you ponder and celebrate the true nature of love.
(Hong Kong, 1996)
The pleasure of this film lies not only in the fact that director Peter Chan Ho-sun was able to pair Maggie Cheung Man-yuk and Leon Lai Ming as lovers thrown together by the fates. For anyone who was around before the handover of 1997, Comrades, Almost a Love Story perfectly captures the air of pure anticipation that seemed to hover over Hong Kong. The happy, unhappy, then happy again couple play immigrants looking for a better life but still tethered to pasts that threaten to destroy their dreams. It's all about grabbing chances with both hands - even if you have to wait a while to do so.
(Japan, 1997)