July Rhapsody (2002)

Ann Hui

Hong Kong

103 min, color, Cantonese (English subtitles)

Review © 2003 Branislav L. Slantchev

A low-key drama that flows languidly like poetry about the Yangtze river. Ann Hui, known as purveyor of modern art-house fare, offers a quiet meditation on age, happiness, truth, and love that is a subtle tapestry of inaction, remembrances, and longing. Somewhat reminiscent in tone of Wong Kar-Wai's approach, this film eschews dramatic displays of passion in favor of the unstated, the alluded to, and the incomplete.

Karena Lam in class	Jacky Cheung as the nerdy lit prof

Jacky Cheung plays a middle-aged literature teacher at a high school. He has a happy family, married to Anita Mui, and with two sons, the elder played by Shaun Tam. He leads a quiet, pedestrian life trying to awaken his students to the beauty of poetry but rarely succeeding. Except for one student in his class, the beautiful Karena Lam, who spends most of her time dreaming about him.

Happy Family	Karena disputes a grade

Why would a young girl long for a nerdy teacher? She does not lack attention, she is from a rich family, she, by her own admission, always gets what her wants, and her boyfriend's Porsche sure beats riding the bus. Yet, she seems in love, although in a very teenager sort of way. What is it about Jacky that attracts her? Is it simply the allure of the forbidden?

Student and Teacher	Karena stalks Jacky in the bus

For his part, Jacky finds himself torn between the titillation of being the object of desire of a young and pretty girl, and his wife, with whom his relationship is overtly very good, but which is subject to some unstated tension, that erupts with full force as their past suddenly intrudes into their lives. Every family has a dead horse, and this one is no exception. There are things that cannot be said but which threaten to unravel the balance carefully cultivated for two decades.

Flirting at the mall	Happy Family

Mr. Sing, their old literature teacher is dying and Anita wants to be around him to help in his last days. The seemingly innocuous request that is perfectly understandable for humanitarian reasons is oddly made by Anita looking distinctly guilty, and oddly received by Jacky looking resigned and unhappy. It is as if he has never been sure of the answer that Anita gives Shaun when he asks point blank whether she loves Jacky.

Gratuitous shot of Karena Lam	The disarming pout in action

So while the source of Karena's attraction toward Jacky is left unexplored, the process of Jacky's decision is traced with precision. It is not a matter of a simple middle-age crisis, nor is it a matter of sexual gratification. It is the desire to taste love without doubt that makes him go the length despite his conscience and despite propriety. Karena offers him what he believes Anita has denied him: the only "true" love, unspoiled by the force of circumstance, duty, or responsibility.

Gratuitous shot of Karena Lam	Anita Mui tells Shaun Tam the truth

While he does not love Karena, her love for him, fleeting as it may be, is more than Anita's long dedication. It is a different type of love that the romantic teacher of poetry has read about, has seen, and has even experienced when he was in school and stared at Anita's pony-tail, but that he has never had reciprocated. It is not desire to hurt Anita, or his family, or take advantage of Karena that drives him on, but the wish to free himself from the burden of his life, the bitter-sweet relationship with his wife that has never been able to transcend its inauspicious conception.

Anita Mui faces her past	At the bar

Disintegration, when it comes, is both swift and subdued. There is no passion left between husband and wife, no strength to either love or hate. There is only the regret and the helplessness with which they can look at their failed relationship. Anita, unable to give Jacky what he longs for, realizes what they have both sacrificed, although of the two he is doubtless the one who has suffered most. The dissolution of their delicate union is simply resignation before the reality that they have both evaded for years.

Sex	The morning after

In this film, where passion is conveyed by poetry and sex symbolized by a closing door, feelings are a difficult thing to disentangle. And yet, Ann Hui succeeds in telling Ivy Ho's story with detached precision that may be a bit off-putting but still strangely appropriate. It's as if she is also unwilling to probe into the characters, letting them go their ways, leaving questions unanswered, and prompting meditation from the viewers. Although Ann Hui is not a great stylist, there are several exquisite scenes where the protagonists manage to evoke more with their expressions than with their words.

Graduation day	Happy Family

The performances are superb. Karena is excellent as the spoiled rich girl pining for her teacher, and both Jacky and Anita portray the secret family life with much conviction. This is a good return for Jacky and a shift of genre that can display what he has learned over the years of acting. Karena seems quite capable and I will be looking for other films with her. Anita, as usual, is superb.

The Universe DVD is uninspiring. The transfer (letterboxed at 1.85:1) is soft and a bit grainy, which is a shame for a 2002 film. Both Cantonese and Mandarin soundtracks are available, although only the former has a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix. The optional English subtitles are bright and readable. There are no extras except for a trailer and talent files.

December 8, 2003