What's your first impression when you hear the name Sylvis CHANG? Probably the most common answer for local audience is that she is a director and most of her movies are about women. Probably what we can see is that in most of her movies, she put lots of descriptions on love. This mid-autumn festival her latest direction "Tempting Heart" will be showing in Hong Kong with a new combination of performers -- Takeshi Kaneshiro, Karen Joy Morris and Gigi LEUNG. For the trailer, what you can expect is a detailed romantic story.

"Tempting Heart" starts with Sylvia CHANG Nga-ga. She would like to make a movie about romance and love. She finds a script writer (Wiilam SO Wing-hong) and they start writing a story between two girls and a boy from 1979 to 1999 -- SHEN Sheo-lin (Gigi LEUNG Wing-kei), CHEN Li (Karen Joy Morris) and LIN Ho-jun (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Sheo-lin and Li has been friends since early ages. In 1979 when they were still teenagers, they met Ho-jun. They were attracted by Ho-jun. Finally Sheo-lin was in love with Ho-jun. They even stay alone in a dorm in the outlet Island. However, it is finally known by Sheo-lin's Mom and she prohibited Sheo-lin met Ho-jun again. They were finally broken up and Ho-jun went to Japan for his new life. 10 years passed, Sheo-lin becomes a fashion designer who flies around the world all the time. Once upon a time, she is in her business trip to Japan and she met Ho-jun again...

Audience will probably compare "Tempting Heart" with Golden Harvest previous screening -- Jingle MA Chor-shing's "Fly Me to Polaris". Though you get impressed by "Fly Me to Polaris", you won't be disappointed by "Tempting Heart" as it gives you another dimension.

Sylvia CHANG is good in writing romance, love and relationship. In "Tempting Heart", the description is appropriate and detailed. Taking the start of love between Ho-jun and Sheo-lin, Sheo-lin intended to create a self-accident to get the sympathy of Ho-jun. The setting shows the skills in making the feeling of youngsters.

Another remarkable setting of the sub-plot is showing the jealousity of CHEN Li when knowing Shao-lin and Ho-jun were in love. The setting sets CHEN in the bed after a severe illness. Shao-lin and Ho-jun go to visit CHEN in a rainy day. When they come, they help each other to dry themselves in front of CHEN Li. The sour of CHEN Li can be seen in full.

The whole story makes use of the roles of Sylvia CHANG and William SO in writing a love story. The main purpose is to make use of them to present the story in different characters' point of view. Such presentation approach makes the story more complete. As the movie says, we usually skip some of the angles out of our eyes. In fact, the making use of different angles can supplement each other. This also gives audience more atmosphere in thinking the situation.

The use of writers' role also helps in explaining some of the points of the movie. Like the character of Shao-lin's Mom, we agree that her roles is too traditional. The director explains the roles to make audience feel comfortable with the characters. This is a clever way of interaction.

In terms of acting, the acting of Gigi LEUNG, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Karen Joy Morris are natural. Out of the three, Takeshi Kaneshiro is sharpest. He is a guy who don't know how to be responsible in love and his outlook fits the role. For Gigi LEUNG, who plays the roles from teens to 30s. She has put her efforts in acting. However, it looks still a bit hard to believe that when she acts as 30s. I understand that she tried her best but sometimes it is something we have to say.

Out of the three leading cast, Karen seems to be the least in description. I expect she has more roles to play. She plays well but I expect she can be in the movie in more plots. Maybe the description between her and Takeshi Kaneshiro can be in more details.

"Temption Heart" is movie able to give a detailed and complete romance story. With clever presentation approach and naturl acting. Will your heart be tempted to see the movie now?

Written by Ryan Law, from Hong Kong Movie DataBase, on 23 September 1999.