Reviewed by: runo_jp Date: 06/14/2001 Summary: love will tear us apart Very artsy movie, which will not please everyone. I found it okay, but maybe a little bit too long. You really have to be in the right mood to see this movie, otherwise, you will get real depressed.

Reviewed by: ryan Date: 11/21/1999 Summary: Love Will Tear Us Apart (1999) It seems that after the success of Fruit CHAN's 'Made in Hong Kong' (1997), the film industry started take a bit care about local independent productions. Maybe it is for lowering their budgets. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is a local production directed by Nelson YU Lik-wai. It is first introduced in the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) in April and won some awards. Then the film is accepted for competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Frankly speaking, without these reputations, I don't think there will be chances for 'Love Will Tear Us' apart showing in theatres. The story of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is a story for some new immigrants from the mainland -- Ah Ying (WANG Ling) is a prositiute who come to Hong Kong but failed to find his life and love. Ah Yan (LU Li-ping) is a middle-aged woman working in a restaurant. It looks good but no one knows how sad she was behind everybody. Ah Kin (Tony LEUNG Ka-fai) is a Hong Kong guy who hosts a porn video shop. He is also the character linking Ah Ying and Ah Yan. One day, customer Skimmy (Rolf CHOW Chi-shing) came for porn tapes but left finally. Skimmy is a lift repairman but cannot get his satisfaction in his life. He looks for sex from time to time to fill his feeling of lonely. Before we talk about how the movie is done. I would like to draw your attention that this movie looks like an art film rather than the main stream movie. If you just look for a movie, I am afraid that you will definitely feel bored after watching the first half an hour. 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' tried to reflect the lives of the new immigrants from PRC while they make use of slow motions for filming which makes the whole progress of the plot very slow. The movie mainly describles about the lifes of a group of new immigrants. On one hand, they though Hong Kong is a paradise. However, when they come, they found out it may be like a hell. Tony LEUNG Ka-fai seems to be a guy selling porn tapes but does not have a good love. Skimmy is a guy who cannot face females and that explains why he can only get joy for his sexual thought. Nelnel YU has done an intensive job in describing the feeling and life of the immigrants. One of the examples is how Ah Ying helped the begger in the street to correct his mistake in the paper seeking for money. This may be a bit strange to us, but to Ah Ying it reflects they share the same feeling. On the whole, Nelnel YU has done a good trial for his 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. The movie is intensive and powerful. If you get prepared for watching a movie which requires you thinking, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' should be one of the good choices.