The Accident
Director: Julien Lee
Year: 1999
Rating: 7.5
I continue to be
surprised and impressed by some of the smaller films coming from HK that
are exploring relationships and sexuality in a very mature manner. It feels
as if the near death of action films has opened the door for these other
type of adult oriented films. Last year it was Stanley Kwan’s Hold You Tight
and now he is the producer of The Accident. The director is Julien Lee.
The film dramatically and effectivly weaves together three stories of loneliness,
sexual desire, a need to be touched, a need to hold someone and a need to
be loved during a 24-hour period. It’s done beautifully as Lee shows a very
deft hand in keeping all three stories going at the same time as he shifts
constantly from one to the other. He slowly builds each story and creates
very real characters so that in the end you feel some of their emptiness,
some of their sadness.
Andrew Lien is a tour operator in China and he is going to HK by train to
meet his girlfriend, Gigi Lai. There has been an accident on the train tracks
though and there won’t be any trains until the morning. So he goes to a hotel
to stay the night where it turns out a blue movie is being filmed. The star
of the blue movie is Almen Wong and she gives a wonderful performance as
this sexy yet very lonely woman who just wants to feel normal, to feel loved
again. She desperately seeks out Andrew and he is only to happy to comply
– for one night.
Gigi in HK doesn’t know what has happened to Andrew, but as the night wears
on she begins to feel that he has deserted her and she too begins to need
and look for human companionship. Though she is perhaps the least interesting
of the main characters, it was good seeing her in a film like this with a
grown-up role.
The most interesting and most graphic of the three stories centers on a taxi
driver – played perfectly by Ben Ng. Ng is in financial trouble, but is able
to borrow some money from Christine Ng – who though married has strong feelings
for Ben. What she is unaware of is that Ben is much more interested in men.
He picks up a young street hustler (Wong Hei) and the two of them share the
night in the back of the cab.
The movie is beautifully textured with some stunning images – such as a couple
that just had a motorcycle accident – and as they lie on the street covered
in blood the camera goes in for a close up of their hands reaching and finally
finding one another.
It is just a very different and interesting
film with excellent acting from all.