A disturbing trend in recent Hong Kong cinema is the onslaught of facile romantic dramas, such as Fly Me to Polaris and Anna Magdalena, whose cloying sweetness, bland beauty, and utter shallowness has earned them box office success while at the same time diminishing the cinematic stature of those involved. Lavender reunites the Anna Magdalena duo of singing idols Kelly Chan, whose pretty appearance is unfortunately matched with a grating screen presence, and the equally pretty Takeshi Kaneshiro, a more-than-capable actor when given the opportunity. Lavender gives neither much of a chance to be more than insipid, which evidently is enough to set certain hearts aflutter. More hard-hearted viewers will want to bolt for the exit before the first reel has finished unspooling.

It is the opening minutes that set the tone. Looking like she just stepped out of an Esprit window, a comely aroma therapist (Kelly Chen) carries an orange balloon up the Central Escalator, cries into her lavender-scented bath, and frees the balloon into the air after writing sentimental notes to her dead lover. During a stormy night, a handsome angel (Takeshi Kaneshiro) crashes to earth on her terrace. And for over an hour and a half, the viewer is subjected to half-baked philosophizing about the nature of love devoid of a true sense of wonder or a deep understanding of love. Matters are not helped by the stereotypically gay next door neighbor (Eason Chan), a pathetic but genial buffoon who is supposed to provide comedy relief while the “normal” folk find their hearts’ desire. The dialogue and mannerisms are as self-consciously cute and smug as the situations in which they are placed, a gratingly maudlin musical score over-emphasizing every ersatz emotion.

The movie represents a huge step backwards for writer/director Riley Ip Kam-hung. Though Lavender may ring up more ticket sales than his previous Metada Fumaca and Love is Not a Game, But a Joke, those earlier films—flawed though they may be—attempt to uncover some basic human truths about love and relationships. Lavender may be pretty, but it is as false as the angelic couple’s nighttime swing ride in a Central construction site or their contrived jaunt through a French lavender field.

As if the movie were not already rife with gimmicks, various aromas are emitted throughout the film at selected theatres. The smells were mistimed at the show I attended, but it doesn’t matter. No amount of lavender could mask the stench on screen.

1 1/2 Stars

This review is copyright (c) 2001 by Paul Fonoroff. All rights reserved. No part of the review may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.