One of 1997's most interesting films. The opening credits, a beautiful, subtly designed play of digital underwater effects, promise that something unusual will follow. And it does. Director/screenwriter Riley Ip offers a rough scaffold of a story: 3 young men arrive in Hong Kong from Canada, bent on competing to find "Karen", the woman they think they all are in love with. But each finds someone else, unexpectedly. The new objects of their desire are Hsu Chi (a police woman with an addiction to philosophy, food, and dangerous characters), Christine Ng (a daredevil bus driver adrift in domestic unfulfillment), and Theresa Lee (a homeless woman with a manic disposition and gift for kleptomania). All three give excellent performances as characters who turn out to be far more interesting than the men looking for them. Jan Lamb, who plays a fragrance-sensitive soul of few words, is the standout among the men: his nicely restrained and nuanced performance finally convinced me that he is a gifted comic actor. Gorgeous cinematography by Jingle Ma: the film's fluidly mobile camera, translucent blues and greens, and luminous night scenes make it one of the best-looking movies of the year. Ip acknowledges his debt to Wong Kar-wai: references to the latter's films are sprinkled playfully throughout. It reminded me of last year's intelligently scripted Love among the Ruins, but it is far more fully realized. Love is not a Game is a witty film, but one that's also full of feeling.