Fridae

Hong Kong director Yonfan has made several homoerotic films that
range from the barely watchable (Bugis Street) to the utterly
wonderful (Bishonen, Peony Pavilion).

His strongest films made gay audiences swoon with the exquisite
beauty of the actors (Daniel Wu and Stephen Fung in Bishonen)
or the visually intoxicating production design and cinematography
(Peony Pavilion).

His latest film, Colour Blossoms, bears his hallmarks:
the gorgeous actors, the intricate set design, the sumptuous camerawork,
the languid pacing. But here, the plot and characters are weak and
unconvincing. Some of the aesthetic flourishes also smack of indulgence.

The film stars Teresa Cheung (former socialite and wife of singer
Kenny Bee) as Meili, a property agent who is hired by the rich and
mysterious Madam Umeki (Matsuzaka Keiko) to lease out her lavish
apartment in Hong Kong. Going about her work, Meili meets two different
men (the dazzlingly handsome models Carl Ng and Sho) and falls in
love with both of them. Tragedy ensues.

With the exquisite sets and equally exquisite cheekbones of the
actors, Colour Blossoms is an undeniable feast for the
eyes. But the film also veers dangerously into campy excess and
plain old weirdness — prompting gay audience members at last
weekend's screening to giggle a lot, while straight audience members
scratched their heads and muttered: "What the f***?"

Colour Blossoms may look like art to some (The Hong Kong
Film Critics Society praised it highly) — and trash to others
(the film did poorly at Hong Kong's box-office). Trash or art? See
it for yourself and decide.