Nelson Yu Lik-Wai is an unusual director in Hong Kong Cinema, from photographer to director, he started shooting short films and documentaries in 1995. In 1996, he teamed up with the famous Mainland China director Jia Zhangke to form Hutong Production, committed to the cooperation of art films between Mainland and Hong Kong. In 1998, he directed "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (1999) and invited Tony Leung Ka-Fai to star, and the film was successfully shortlisted for the Cannes Film Festival competition. Nelson Yu has always been Jia Zhangke's "royal" photographer, and has served as Jia 's many films, including "Pickpocket" (1997), "Platform" (2000), "Unknown Pleasures" (2002) and "Still Life" (2006), which won the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival. The partnership has resulted in an internationally acclaimed film festival regular.
"Plastic City" (2008) was successfully shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival. The film has an international production scale. It starred famous Japanese actor Joe Odagiri and Hong Kong's Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, as well as Mainland actress Huang Yi. The whole film was filmed in Brazil, South America, and described the struggle between local Japanese and Chinese gangsters. Nelson Yu maintains his style in the management of cinematography, and incorporates the unique South American style of Brazil, as well as the original scenery of the South American forest area. Just the visual performance, the film has a good performance. However, the film lacks reason in terms of story and narration. The description of Anthony Wong and Joe Odagiri as adoptive father and son's life-and-death exchanges and the alternation of life are quite abrupt, and it is difficult for the audience to immerse in it. And the relationship between Joe Odagiri and his adoptive father's girlfriend Huang Yi, and his Brazilian girlfriend is not much, nor is it profound. On the contrary, in the middle of the film, it is said that Joe Odagiri formed a "corps" with a group of Brazilian friends in order to help his adoptive father win back the territory. The relationship between Joe Odagiri and this group of life-and-death friends should have a better play, but the film has been lightly carried. The duel between Joe Odagiri and the Brazilian gangster was obviously copied from Takeshi Kitano's "The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi" (2003), but under the overly stylized treatment, it was not in harmony with the overall style of the film between reality and fantasy. In addition, the technical roughness of the picture composition is disappointing.
There are reports that the film was booed by the audience when it was shown at the Venice Film Festival, and some people questioned Nelson Yu's ability to tell a story. Judging from Yu's past works and the films he has collaborated with Jia Zhangke, this time Yu can be said to be "high-minded and low-handed". His ambition was too big but ended up like this. An unfamiliar production environment in Brazil exposed the indeterminacy of spare power and the limitation of ability and resources; however, the alternation of life and the blending of man and nature conveyed in the film, these propositions, courage and sincerity are commendable.
By Kam Po LAM (original in Chinese)
"Plastic City" (2008) was successfully shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival. The film has an international production scale. It starred famous Japanese actor Joe Odagiri and Hong Kong's Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, as well as Mainland actress Huang Yi. The whole film was filmed in Brazil, South America, and described the struggle between local Japanese and Chinese gangsters. Nelson Yu maintains his style in the management of cinematography, and incorporates the unique South American style of Brazil, as well as the original scenery of the South American forest area. Just the visual performance, the film has a good performance. However, the film lacks reason in terms of story and narration. The description of Anthony Wong and Joe Odagiri as adoptive father and son's life-and-death exchanges and the alternation of life are quite abrupt, and it is difficult for the audience to immerse in it. And the relationship between Joe Odagiri and his adoptive father's girlfriend Huang Yi, and his Brazilian girlfriend is not much, nor is it profound. On the contrary, in the middle of the film, it is said that Joe Odagiri formed a "corps" with a group of Brazilian friends in order to help his adoptive father win back the territory. The relationship between Joe Odagiri and this group of life-and-death friends should have a better play, but the film has been lightly carried. The duel between Joe Odagiri and the Brazilian gangster was obviously copied from Takeshi Kitano's "The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi" (2003), but under the overly stylized treatment, it was not in harmony with the overall style of the film between reality and fantasy. In addition, the technical roughness of the picture composition is disappointing.
There are reports that the film was booed by the audience when it was shown at the Venice Film Festival, and some people questioned Nelson Yu's ability to tell a story. Judging from Yu's past works and the films he has collaborated with Jia Zhangke, this time Yu can be said to be "high-minded and low-handed". His ambition was too big but ended up like this. An unfamiliar production environment in Brazil exposed the indeterminacy of spare power and the limitation of ability and resources; however, the alternation of life and the blending of man and nature conveyed in the film, these propositions, courage and sincerity are commendable.
By Kam Po LAM (original in Chinese)