Opening Film: Mai(19th Fresh Wave)

Mai, a massage girl past her prime, moves to the city to work. She meets Dương, a bar pianist seven years her junior, who pursues her recklessly. When she finally overcomes her inner demons and accepts his love, she discovers he actually comes from a wealthy family. However, Dương’s mother, learning of Mai's dishonorable past, rejects her and tries to separate the lovers… Now doesn’t this all sound quite familiar, resembling the Cantonese social dramas and ethical tragedies of CHOR Yuen, Filmmaker in Focus of last year? The truth is, Trấn Thành has adopted a (nearly) hybrid style, combining Douglas SIRK’s melodramatic storytelling, R.W. FASSBINDER’s subversive narration, and Pedro ALMODÓVAR’s colourful imagery and complex and precise mise-en-scène. Through this constantly changing scenery, sometimes playful and witty, sometimes romantic, at times melancholic, others passionate, the lively portrayal of humankind (the apartment where all sorts inhabit) as in The House of 72 Tenants (1973), Mai’s legendary life as heartbreaking as Darling Caroline (1951), the result is truly magnificent.