Directed by Stanley Kwan • 2001 • Hong Kong, China
Starring Liu Ye, Hu Jun, Huatong Li
Filmed in secret in Beijing, this tender gay romance by Stanley Kwan combines the timeless conventions of classic melodrama with a radically frank depiction of queer intimacy as it traces, over the course of years, the relationship between a wealthy businessman (Hu Jun) and a young architecture student (Liu Ye) as they come together, fall apart over the former’s fear of commitment, and gradually realize that they are fated to be together. Kwan’s expressive visuals and the sensitive lead performances yield a daring, deeply affecting love story that doubles as a haunting reflection on life in post-Mao China in the wake of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
Up Next in 21st Century Cinema
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Vámonos
Directed by Marvin Lemus • 2015 • United States
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A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here
Directed by Érica Sarmet • 2021 • Brazil
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Carne seca
Directed by Jazmin Diaz • 2015 • United States
Starring Joseph T. Campos, Karina Dominguez, Cristian MirandaTwo brothers in rural Mexico have until sunset to sell a cooler of beef—or face their father’s anger.
